The South Carolina basketball team won last week’s SEC tournament.
Dawn Staley and the South Carolina women’s basketball team took home another Southeastern Conference title on Sunday, the program’s sixth SEC tournament title in the past seven seasons. The Gamecocks of Staley defeated Alabama with seventh place, Tennessee with third, and Georgia with fourth seeded in consecutive nights to eliminate the nets in Greenville.
In the championship dispute, South Carolina used a monster in the third quarter to get away from the 16th place Bulldogs, beating their opponent 17-8 in the period to open what had been a draw at the break.
Aliyah Boston had a monstrous performance, with the striker leading the team in scoring, scoring 27 points out of 8 out of 12 shots. She added 10 rebounds to win the double-double, while also blocking four shots in Georgia. It was Boston’s third consecutive double-double, which led to her being elected the MVP of the tournament.
Georgia held on tight to the Gamecocks for most of the game, scoring 23 points in the first quarter, jumping to an early lead and pitching 52% as a field team in the first half. Carolina’s defense advanced after the break, however, holding the Bulldogs with just 27 points in the last two quarters.
That Morrison led the Bulldogs with 20 points, while pivot Jenna Staiti added 10 more points. Unfortunately, it was not enough to keep up with the Gamecocks, but they will try to regroup and prepare for the next NCAA Tournament.
Gamecocks will also await their fate in March Madness, although Dawn Staley’s team projects to be the number one seed. The selection committee will announce its decision next Monday, at 19h.
BULLDOGS, GAMECOCKS MAKE HISTORY
It wasn’t just the game itself, the Bulldogs and Gamecocks provided viewers with the first NCAA women’s conference championship clash with two black coaches.
Dawn Staley emphasized the importance of the feat after the victory.
“What you saw gives hope to black women.”
Georgia coach Joni Taylor also noted the importance of seeing two black women lead their teams on championship night and, although disappointed by the defeat, she was proud to make history.
“You cannot dream what you cannot see.”
What Staley, Taylor and their respective teams were able to accomplish this week cannot be underestimated, as it gives the next generation of black women a new vision of the future of college athletics.