Gamecocks’ 30th victory earns spot in SEC semis
EDITOR’S NOTE: Friday’s Kentucky-Tennessee game was not complete in time for this edition. For coverage, please visit timesfreepress.com.
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Victaria Saxton has willingly played a supporting role in South Carolina’s starting lineup, letting talented teammates such as Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke lead the way for the reigning national champions.
She got a starring spot against Arkansas at the Southeastern Conference tournament.
Saxton scored 19 points and Boston had her 79th career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds as top-ranked South Carolina improved to 30-0 with a 93-66 victory Friday in the league’s quarterfinal round. The Gamecocks received a double bye in the bracket and played for the first time since wrapping an undefeated regular season and sole possession of the SEC regular-season title last Sunday.
Saxton, who has started 97 of 98 games the past three seasons, loves her role, no matter how big or small.
“I just do my job every game, do what I’m here to do,” said Saxton, a fifth-year player who had her best scoring performance this season and was just a point away from her career high.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said Saxton, who shot 8-for-10 in 20 minutes, has been as vital for the Gamecocks as anyone on the roster.
“Probably the highest praise I can give a player is low maintenance and high performing,” Staley said. “V’s been with us five years now. … No complaints, the best teammate, she is our mother hen.”
The Gamecocks have won 36 straight games overall since losing last year’s SEC tournament title game to Kentucky in Nashville. They took control early against eighth-seeded Arkansas and used their talented, tall lineup to advance to Saturday’s semifinals, where they’ll play Ole Miss, which took visiting South Carolina to overtime during the regular season.
Arkansas, meanwhile, must sweat its postseason fate out until Selection Sunday on March 12. The Razorbacks are on bubble watch as one of the last four teams out of the 68-team NCAA tournament bracket, according to the latest projections by ESPN.com.
Staley thought the Razorbacks had done more than enough to make the field for March Madness.
“I agree with her,” Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors said.
Of course, there are no worries for South Carolina, which reached 30 wins for the sixth time in a stretch of nine seasons.
The Gamecocks, who lead the country in rebounding margin, outrebounded Arkansas 74-17 in a 92-46 victory two months ago. They couldn’t quite reach that eye-popping margin this time, but they had a healthy control of things down low with a 51-26 advantage on the glass.
Kierra Fletcher added 12 points for the Gamecocks, while Boston had a season-high five assists and tied her season best with four of South Carolina’s eight blocks.
Laeticia Amihere scored 16 points, all in the second half, as the Gamecocks poured it on. Kamilla Cardoso had 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
For a second time, South Carolina’s defense bottled up the Razorbacks’ leading scorer for the season, Erryn Barnum. She was 3-of-11 for 11 points in the January loss at South Carolina and was 2-of-13 for eight points in this rematch.
Saylor Poffenberger had 22 points to lead Arkansas.
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Alexis Morris scored 28 points and Flau’jae Johnson added 21, with each hitting five 3-pointers as the fourth-ranked, second-seeded Tigers used their long-range shooting to zip past No. 7 seed Georgia.
LSU will face third-seeded Tennessee (21-10) or reigning SEC tourney champion Kentucky (12-18), the 14th seed, in Saturday’s second semifinal.
The Tigers hit 11 shots from
LSU 83, Georgia 66
3-point range overall against Georgia (21-11), tying their season high.
SEC scoring and rebounding leader Angel Reese had 15 points and six rebounds for LSU (28-1), missing a double-double for just the second time this season, and was called for a technical foul as she sparred with the Lady Bulldogs’ Diamond Battles, who was also called for a technical in the third quarter.
LSU coach Kim Mulkey pulled Reese after her fourth foul with 9:02 left in the game, and she did not return.
The contest included a weather delay of some 45 minutes during the second quarter, due to a bad storm and a leaky roof at Bon Secours Wellness Arena — nicknamed “the Well.”
LSU has won five games since losing South Carolina on Feb. 12 and helped Mulkey reach a modest goal coming in: win her first SEC tournament game since taking the job after they lost their opener a year ago in Nashville. Morris pretty much took care of that early, making a trio of 3s in less than four minutes as the Tigers went up 14-4.
Alisha Lewis scored 14 points to lead Georgia, which took LSU to overtime during the regular season. Battles, the Lady Bulldogs’ leading scorer this season, was held to seven points on 2-of-12 shooting.
› Ole Miss 77, Texas A&M 60
Ole Miss standout Angel Baker scored a game-high 23 points, and Madison Scott added 16 with eight rebounds and four assists as the fourth-seed Rebels (23-7) rolled in their SEC tourney opener, ending a surprising quarterfinal run for the 13th-seeded Aggies (9-20) in Greenville.
Baker was 10-for-12 from the field, producing 20-plus points for the eighth time this season, and helped Ole Miss shoot 51%. She was joined in double figures by teammates Marquesha Davis (14 points) and Elauna Eaton (11).
Texas A&M, which trailed 40-29 at halftime, was held to 35% shooting for the game with 22 turnovers. Janiah Barker led the Aggies with 22 points and 10 rebounds.