South-Carolina
3 takeaways from Alabama’s home win vs. South Carolina
The Tide defeated the Gamecocks in authoritative fashion on Saturday night.
Alabama defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks by a score of 89-75 on Saturday evening.
The Tide earned a fourth consecutive victory with their win over the Gamecocks. Alabama shot lights out from behind the arc, as the team as a whole shot an impressive 48% from the field including a scorching 41% from behind the arc.
The Tide officially now hold an 8-4 record throughout the first half of SEC play, as a multitude of playmakers continue to play at a high level on a nightly basis.
Here are three takeaways from Alabama’s authoritative win over South Carolina.
Aden Holloway explodes in second half, records 20 points and four rebounds
Holloway was nothing short of elite during the second half of Saturday night’s contest. The star guard recorded 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting despite struggling in the first half, as Holloway played a crucial role on the offensive end of the floor down the stretch. The talented guard was credited with four free throws, a layup, and a three pointer in the final 2:13 of play, as Holloway continues to play a pivotal role in the Tide’s backcourt this season.
Latrell Wrightsell shines off bench, scores 19 total points
Wrightsell has emerged as a top three-point shooter in all of college basketball when fully healthy. The senior recorded 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, as Wrightsell has been red hot from deep during the Tide’s four-game win streak. The star sharpshooter appears to be fully healthy following a multitude of injuries earlier in the season, as Wrightsell’s performance against the Gamecocks was spectacular.
Labaron Philon continues to dominate, scores 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting
Philon has been widely regarded as a top player in all of college basketball this season. The star guard recorded 19 points on an efficient 5-of-8 shooting on Saturday night, as Philon continues to thrive on the offensive end of the floor this season. The talented sophomore currently averages an impressive 21.4 points per game on 50.4% shooting, as the Tide as a whole have been red hot from deep as of late.
Alabama will host the Arkansas Razorbacks at Coleman Coliseum on Wednesday night, as the Tide will look to go 9-4 in SEC play.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).
Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.
Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.
Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.
The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
Audi Crooks on being in the transfer portal
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg catches up with college basketball star Audi Crooks, who is still looking for her next team.
Sports Seriously
Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.
Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”
Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.
After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.
“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.
Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”
Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.
Contributing: Mitchell Northam
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Each offseason, the NFL shakes up the landscape with free agency, as some of the top names at each position move around the league to new teams. The New Orleans Saints have fallen victim to this in 2026 so far, with Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor both moving on, and Cameron Jordan not having re-signed as of yet. Cornerback was a position that could already use a talent influx alongside Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley; now, it is even more of an issue.
Adding a new defensive back to fill the STAR role for the defense is certainly going to be a focus this spring, and that has been clear from the Saints’ pre-draft meetings. Recently, they added another name to the growing list; this time, it was South Carolina prospect Jalon Kilgore.
There is a lot to like about Kilgore, especially in that nickel or STAR role long term. He is enormously athletic and absolutely rapid both in straight-line testing and on the field. He got a decent chunk of his collegiate snaps at slot corner, 1,382 to be exact, but also had 541 in the box, 238 at free safety, 53 along the defensive line, and 24 as an outside corner.
His coverage metrics in 2025 were very solid, as on 65 targets, he allowed 34 receptions (52.3%) for 390 yards and 2 touchdowns. He picked up 2 interceptions, 10 pass deflections, 54 total tackles, and 2 fumble recoveries in 694 total snaps this season. Throughout the combine, he ended up performing well in pretty much every drill, which bodes well for his ability to translate to the NFL. If the Saints are looking to add someone with slot experience already, Kilgore may be one of the best options available.
-
Arizona1 minute agoNFL mock draft: 4-round projections for Arizona Cardinals
-
Arkansas7 minutes agoNo. 6 Arkansas ends top-ranked OU’s 31-game home winning streak with 3-2 decision
-
California13 minutes ago
Billionaire Steyer’s spending binge dwarfs rival campaigns in California governor’s race
-
Colorado19 minutes agoLandeskog – April 18 | Colorado Avalanche
-
Connecticut25 minutes agoOvernight Forecast for April 19
-
Delaware31 minutes agoState Police Arrest Dover Man for Assault and Aggravated Menacing in Dover – Delaware State Police – State of Delaware
-
Florida38 minutes agoSNAP benefits will be changing in Florida starting Monday
-
Georgia44 minutes agoGeorgia on nobody’s mind: The Dawgs are under the radar, and that’s a compliment
