South Carolina had no plans to get ‘punked’
GREENVILLE, S.C. – South Carolina women’s basketball guard Zia Cooke hardly remembers the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game a year ago. Since the moment she watched Kentucky hoist the trophy, the senior has barely thought about the loss.
“It hasn’t stuck with me at all actually,” Cooke said. “We’ve won so many games since then. We’ve grown so much since then. I think we were a way better team than what we showed when we lost to them, so it’s not something that was even in the back of my mind at all.”
The Gamecocks have gotten their redemption for that conference tournament upset many times over: They have not lost a game since then, winning 38 in a row including the 2022 NCAA championship for the longest active streak in the nation. Top-seeded South Carolina (32-0) dominated Kentucky in both regular-season meetings this season, and Sunday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, it earned back the title of SEC tournament champions with a 74-58 win over 3-seed Tennessee (23-11).
South Carolina’s upperclassmen are no strangers to winning the conference championship. The senior class earned the title in 2020 and 2021, but Cooke said this time felt different. That extra layer showed in her performance: Cooke led the Gamecocks with 24 points plus five rebounds and three steals to earn alltournament team honors.
“This was something we had on our bucket list, and everything that we’ve had set out so far has happened for us,” Cooke said. “It’s unbelievable. … It’s starting to hit for me a little bit that it is my last SEC Tournament, but it’s also so hard for me to enjoy this moment because I know that we’ve got something bigger ahead.”
Senior guard Brea Beal felt the heightened emotions, too. She said the moment she will remember most is looking around at her teammates’ joyful faces as the confetti rained down over the trophy podium.
“Especially when you’re cutting down the net, you’re just thinking about all the memories and the things you’ve been through and the sacrifices and stuff like that,” Beal said. “This season has been a lot more emotional with all of us collectively coming together and sticking it out for all four years. … It means a lot more.”
For Gamecocks star Aliyah Boston, who was named the tournament MVP, the victory was a relief. She was tired of hearing about the loss to the Wildcats last season and came into this year’s tournament ready to set the record straight.
“Everybody who is in this conference wants to punk you. … For us, it’s like don’t get punked. We need to make sure that we hit first,” Boston said. “It just felt really nice to land another championship considering the questions were all about last year at Kentucky. Being able to wipe that story feels really nice, because here we are talking about a championship.”
The victory was also special to the seniors because they got to witness the youngest players experience their first conference title. Though sophomore Bree Hall and redshirt freshman Raven Johnson were the only underclassmen who saw action, Boston said she hopes the rest of the group recognizes their impact and how much they can accomplish.
“They’re capable of this. Not a lot of people might have gotten in tonight, but without them we wouldn’t be here,” Boston said. “Everybody on this team is talented.”