WBB: Gamecocks fall in SEC Tournament

SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

South Carolina fell in its SEC Tournament opener, 95-89 to Arkansas.

South Carolina led going into the fourth quarter, but went cold at the wrong time. Chelsea Dungee, who scored at will throughout the game, opened the fourth with a go-ahead three. Alexis Jennings missed a pair of free throws that could have tied it, and then Malica Monk added a free throw. Mikiah Herbert Harrigan pulled South Carolina within a point at 77-76, but that’s when South Carolina lost its shooting touch. Arkansas scored seven of the next nine points to take control. Herbert Harrigan hit a three, but she had the only two baskets for nearly nine minutes. Tyasha Harris finally broke the lull with a basket with 1:09 to play, but it was too little, too late, as Arkansas held an 89-85 lead at that point.

South Carolina had to foul to prolong the game, and the Razorbacks made their free throws in the final minute to hold on for the win. Arkansas went 6-8 from the line in the final minute,.

The first half was a game of runs. An 11-0 Arkansas run gave the Razorbacks the lead. A 7-0 South Carolina reclaimed it, and then a 10-0 run took it back. And a 9-0 run briefly put South Carolina back on top. Those runs all came in succession, but Arkansas got the best of it, taking a 43-38 halftime lead. South Carolina struggled against the Arkansas zone in the first half, and committed nine turnovers.

The third quarter was an offensive onslaught, with neither team playing defense. South Carolina scored 35 points in the quarter, as Herbert Harrigan caught fire. She had eight points in the quarter, and scored six in a row, followed by a block that led to a Harris layup for an 8-0 run that dug South Carolina out of a ten point deficit. The teams traded baskets for the rest of the third quarter, until a running three by Harris as the buzzer sounded gave South Carolina a 74-73 lead going into the fourth.

Herbert Harrigan finished with a career high 27 points, six rebounds, and three blocks. She was named to the all-tournament team last year, and she came up big again, doing her best to keep South Carolina in the game. Harris added 24 points, tying her season high, to go with six assists and three rebounds.

But neither player had an answer for Dungee. Dungee finished with 31 points, equaling her output from Thursday night’s win over Georgia. She went 13-13 from the foul line, and got to the rim at will, despite driving left every time.

“She was direct line driving,” Dawn Staley said. “It was hard to bring help. You kind of just picked your poison, whether you wanted her to two us or them to three us. We took what we thought was the lesser of the evils.”

“We pretty much got what we wanted all game,” Dungee said. “Whether it was drive or kick, whether it was open threes.”

Statistically, the teams were about even in every category except one - three point shooting. Arkansas went 11-22 from behind the arc, and South Carolina was just 7-25.

The loss was the first loss in the SEC Tournament for South Carolina since 2014 having won 12 straight games, and the first time since 2010 that South Carolina did not win a single game. Staley had a message for her team after the game, and for the fans who have “South Carolina fatigue.”

“We’ll be back,” she said. “We’ll be back to Greenville, South Carolina, and hopefully we won’t end our tournament prematurely. “

Notes:

Victaria Saxton was not with the team due to a death in the family. … Harris needs one more assist to move into South Carolina’s top five in career assists. … Te’a Cooper did not start, and had a very quiet game. She had two points and three turnovers in 16 minutes. … South Carolina dominated the boards for three quarters, but was outrebounded by five in the fourth. … The game was the first career SEC Tournament loss for Doniyah Cliney and Bianca Cuevas-Moore. Both started the game. Cliney went scoreless, but tied her career-high with nine rebounds. Cuevas-Moore scored ten points, and is 17 shy of 1,000 for her career. … A’ja Wilson was providing analysis on the SEC Network, but made the odd sartorial choice to wear orange. … ESPN’s Charlie Creme said the loss dropped from a three seed to a four seed, and moves them to the Greensboro region. As a four seed, South Carolina would still get to host in Charlotte. … South Carolina now awaits its NCAA Tournament fate. The brackets will be announced Monday, March, 18.