Coach Dawn Staley shares the Scriptures and takes South Carolina to the SEC title

Coach Dawn Staley shares the Scriptures and takes South Carolina to the SEC title

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South Carolina principal coach Dawn Staley cuts the net after winning the SEC tournament on Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP Photo / Sean Rayford)

South Carolina is officially an SEC champion for the second year in a row and for the sixth time in the past seven years. Led by coach Dawn Staley, the Gamecocks surpassed 16th place in Georgia, 67-62 on Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina, to win the SEC women’s basketball tournament title.

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Leading the way to South Carolina was striker Aliyah Boston with 27 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, and point guard Destanni Henderson with 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

The game had nine changes of advantage in the first half and was tied at 35 in the interval. After building a nine-point lead at the end of the third quarter, the Gamecocks held a Bulldog rally to take the win.

“I’m tired, honestly. This was kind of tiring because we really had to fight, ”said Staley at his post-game press conference. “You have to fight for all of them, but this was a little bit different when bringing a young team here that was trying to find their identity to play in a certain way – the courage needed to win three games in a row – and do that against a competition amazing.

“But the SEC is preparing you for this tiring weekend and I’m glad we found our way to the top.”

The win gives South Carolina a 22-4 record this season and a strong argument for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Gamecocks were the No. 1 team in the country before the defeats to No. 2 UConn, No. 21 in Tennessee and No. 3 in Texas A&M in February.

After winning the tournament, Staley gave glory to God on social media:

In the hours leading up to the contest, Staley tweeted a photo of his gameday devotional, which quoted the Bible verse Psalm 19: 1: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the heavens proclaim the work of His hands. “

The devotional also quoted John Lewis, a former member of the United States House of Representatives of Georgia, who died last July and was active in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.

“I urge you to respond to your heart’s highest calling and to stand up for what you really believe,” Lewis was quoted as saying.

Staley tweeted a photo of the match day devotional before each competition as part of his pre-match routine. Each devotional highlights a different verse from the Scriptures.

Staley, who was twice Player of the Year at Naismith College (1991, 1992) and six times at WNBA All-Star, became South Carolina’s head coach in 2008. The program enjoyed unprecedented success under his leadership, appearing in the program only two Final Fours (2015, 2017) and winning the program’s only national championship in 2017.

Staley’s next team in South Carolina is the NCAA Tournament, scheduled to be played at locations in and around San Antonio from March 21 to April 4.

The NCAA women’s selection show is scheduled for 7 PM Eastern Time on Monday, March 15.

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