South-Carolina

More eyes, more scrutiny: South Carolina-LSU scrap seen as a bad look for growing women’s game

Published

2 years ago

March 11, 2024

More eyes, more scrutiny: South Carolina-LSU scrap seen as a bad look for growing women’s game

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — More eyes, more fans and more scrutiny. The good and the bad of the game has all come into sharper focus as women’s college basketball continues to grow in popularity.

What fans saw Sunday in the Southeastern Conference tournament championship was No. 1 South Carolina and LSU getting into a late-game confrontation that led to multiple ejections. Chippy play, plenty of trash talking and players thrown out — something more familiar to fans watching an NBA game.

“I just don’t want the people who are tuning in to women’s basketball to see that and think that is our game, because it isn’t,” said South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, who apologized to the crowd and in postgame interviews. “Our game is a really beautiful thing.”

Not always.

Earlier this season, Ohio State fans were criticized for a court-storming incident where Iowa star Caitlin Clark collided with a fan rushing to celebrate. Last year, Clark and LSU star Angel Reese’s trash talking in the national championship game. surprised fans who may not know that the women’s game has plenty of that, just as it has hard fouls and rough-and-tumble play.

Last November, the NCAA said it was putting a new emphasis on sportsmanship after last season saw a 33% increase in technical fouls, including a 77% increase on techs given to head coaches and a whopping 193% increase on technical fouls assessed to personnel on the bench. Ejections were way up and there were at least two prominent on-court fights.

A month ago, five players were ejected during a game between Southern Miss and Arkansas State but that was an under-the-radar game. The LSU-South Carolina skirmish happened in front of 13,163 screaming fans at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena and many more watching on ESPN.

With about two minutes left in South Carolina’s 79-72 victory, MiLaysia Fulwiley stole the ball from LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson, who then intentionally fouled her to prevent a breakaway basket. Fulwiley’s teammate, Ashlyn Watkins, walked past, yelling at Johnson, who pushed her away. Soon after, 6-foot-7 South Carolina star Kamilla Cardoso ran in and pushed the 5-foot-10 Johnson to the ground as both benches emptied.

Security, officials and coaches eventually calmed things down. Johnson’s brother was arrested and faces charges after police say he jumped over the scorer’s table to get involved.

Cardoso was ejected for fighting while three of her teammates were thrown out for leaving the bench, as were two LSU players. Cardoso will face a one-game suspension, per NCAA rules, and miss the Gamecocks’ NCAA Tournament opener next week.

Debbie Antonelli, a North Carolina State Hall of Fame player and basketball analyst, said the game’s intensity at the college level has always been high.

“I think when you step between the lines you’re athletes and this is what competitive athletes do,” Antonelli said Monday.

LSU coach Kim Mulkey said she thought officials did not call a tight enough game.

“Do you realize there was only one foul called on each team with two minutes to play in the fourth quarter? Are you kidding me?,” Mulkey said. “That might have created some of that.”

South Carolina finished off the final two minutes of the 79-72 victory and then Staley took control, apologizing to fans during the trophy ceremony and in media interviews for her team’s actions.

“We talk about these things as a team, and we try as much as possible to express to them how to react in those type of situations,” Staley said. “Real time is real time. I know that anybody, Kamilla, as well as the other four or five players that were ejected, I know if they had a chance to do it all over again, they would do it differently.”

Staley said LSU’s Johnson apologized for her actions and Cardoso took to social media after the game’s end to say she was sorry for her actions and pledged to do better.

Antonelli said there is no place for fighting in any game, men’s or women’s, and believes fans understand that this was unusual, not a trend.

“It’s going to be a storyline when South Carolina plays the 16th seed (in the NCAA Tournament) and then we’ll move past it,” she said.

Staley hopes that’s the case, too.

“This is a part of it now,” she said. “So we have to fix it and we have to move on.”

___

AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

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South-Carolina

South Carolina Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for Dec. 22, 2025

Published

6 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

South Carolina Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for Dec. 22, 2025

The South Carolina Education Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 22, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

03-18-36-41-54, Powerball: 07, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 7-1-1, FB: 2

Evening: 5-4-2, FB: 3

Check Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 2-4-1-3, FB: 2

Evening: 0-2-8-2, FB: 3

Check Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 11

Evening: 14

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Palmetto Cash 5 numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

02-17-24-25-28

Check Palmetto Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

14-32-47-48-69, Powerball: 17

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

The South Carolina Education Lottery provides multiple ways to claim prizes, depending on the amount won:

For prizes up to $500, you can redeem your winnings directly at any authorized South Carolina Education Lottery retailer. Simply present your signed winning ticket at the retailer for an immediate payout.

Winnings $501 to $100,000, may be redeemed by mailing your signed winning ticket along with a completed claim form and a copy of a government-issued photo ID to the South Carolina Education Lottery Claims Center. For security, keep copies of your documents and use registered mail to ensure the safe arrival of your ticket.

SC Education Lottery

P.O. Box 11039

Columbia, SC 29211-1039

For large winnings above $100,000, claims must be made in person at the South Carolina Education Lottery Headquarters in Columbia. To claim, bring your signed winning ticket, a completed claim form, a government-issued photo ID, and your Social Security card for identity verification. Winners of large prizes may also set up an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for convenient direct deposit of winnings.

Columbia Claims Center

1303 Assembly Street

Columbia, SC 29201

Claim Deadline: All prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw date for draw games.

For more details and to access the claim form, visit the South Carolina Lottery claim page.

When are the South Carolina Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Pick 4: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Cash Pop: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Palmetto Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. ET daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Carolina editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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South-Carolina

Dawn Staley adds pro player Alicia Tournebize to South Carolina roster for this season

Published

18 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Dawn Staley adds pro player Alicia Tournebize to South Carolina roster for this season

Alicia Tournebize, a 6-foot-4 basketball player from France, is enrolling at South Carolina and will begin playing for coach Dawn Staley this season.

The program announced the news on Dec. 22, explaining that she “will join the team following the holiday break and begin classes at the start of the spring 2026 semester.”

Tournebize, 18, played for Tango Bourges Basket, a professional basketball club in France. She was seen dunking in multiple games, according to social media.

The No. 3 Gamecocks (12-1) have played with at most 10 players but mostly eight or nine this season, battling illness and injuries. Staley lost star forward to an ACL tear Chloe Kitts in September.

South Carolina closes non-conference play on Dec. 28 (noon ET, SEC Network) before opening SEC play against Alabama on Jan. 1 (2 p.m. ET, SEC Network+).

“Alicia has an incredible skill set and basketball IQ,” Staley said in the news release. “She has great touch around the rim, can shoot it out to the 3-point line and is a shot blocker.”

Her mother Isabelle Fijalkowski played at Colorado and was drafted into the WNBA by the Cleveland Rockets where she played from 1997-98 before returning to play in Europe. Fijalkowski is getting inducted in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026.

Alicia Tournebize will play for South Carolina, Dawn Staley this season

Staley has been in need of depth long before the season officially started.

Ashlyn Watkins announced in July she’s taking the year off instead of returning and then not long after, Kitts got injured. Kitts enrolled early three years ago, joining the 2022-23 team in December 2022 like Tournebize is doing.

South Carolina signed two recruits out of high school already, Kaeli Wynn and Kelsi Andrews, but Staley said neither will enroll early so it appeared as though she would play a full season with only 10 players until now.

Tournebize will likely work her way into the lineup the same way Adhel Tac and Maryam Dauda have behind starters Madina Okot and Joyce Edwards. Edwards is leading the team with 22 points per game, Okot is averaging 15.6.

South Carolina sits 261st of 359 Division I teams in bench points, averaging 17.0 per game so if Tournebize brings offensive production, it’ll greatly enhance Staley’s depth during conference play.

On her visit, Tournebize went to the South Carolina football game on Nov. 22 with some players and then watched the women’s basketball game on Nov. 23 against Queens.

She sat behind the bench, similar to where Wynn sat during an exhibition game on her visit in October.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky‪@bylulukesin.bsky.social‬

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South-Carolina

South Carolina Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for Dec. 21, 2025

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

The South Carolina Education Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 21, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL numbers from Dec. 21 drawing

Evening: 7-2-5, FB: 4

Check Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL numbers from Dec. 21 drawing

Evening: 3-7-0-4, FB: 4

Check Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 21 drawing

Evening: 14

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Palmetto Cash 5 numbers from Dec. 21 drawing

08-15-23-27-33

Check Palmetto Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

The South Carolina Education Lottery provides multiple ways to claim prizes, depending on the amount won:

SC Education Lottery

P.O. Box 11039

Columbia, SC 29211-1039

Columbia Claims Center

1303 Assembly Street

Columbia, SC 29201

Claim Deadline: All prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw date for draw games.

For more details and to access the claim form, visit the South Carolina Lottery claim page.

When are the South Carolina Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Pick 4: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Cash Pop: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Palmetto Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. ET daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Carolina editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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