S. Carolina women rout UGA
No. 8 South Carolina 71, No. 19 Georgia 49
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A’ja Wilson had 21 points and 11 rebounds to help No. 8 South Carolina rout No. 19 Georgia 71-49 on Saturday to reach the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship for the fourth straight year.
Wilson came off the bench for a second straight game after a bout of vertigo kept her out of the regular-season finale and had her questionable for the tournament. The three-time SEC player of the year came in needing five points to become the Gamecocks’ career scoring leader scorer, and Wilson managed that with three quick buckets in the first quarter.
Now three-time defending tournament champ South Carolina (25-6) will play No. 2 Mississippi State for something no SEC team has ever managed — a fourth straight title. Mississippi State beat No. 15 Texas A&M 70-55 earlier Saturday.
Doniyah Cliney and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan added 14 points apiece for South Carolina.
Georgia (25-6) heads home missing out on the championship game yet again. A four-time tournament champ, the Bulldogs haven’t played in the title game since 2004.
Mackenzie Engram led the Bulldogs with 10 points.
Georgia scored the first four points of the game and led 8-4 on a pair of free throws by Taja Cole with 6:12 left. That’s when Wilson, who came off the bench with 6:52 to go, got going. Wilson missed her first bucket, then knocked down three straight. Caliya Robinson tipped in a bucket for Georgia’s last lead at 12-11 before Wilson’s layup put South Carolina ahead to stay.
South Carolina led 16-12 after the first quarter and led by as much as 16 in outscoring Georgia 19-9 in the second for a 35-21 halftime lead. The Gamecocks led 5337 after three quarters and led by as much as 23 in the fourth.