South-Carolina
South Carolina 103-55 Kentucky (Feb 25, 2024) Game Recap – ESPN
LEXINGTON, Ky. — — South Carolina locked up its latest league title with the kind of performance Dawn Staley wants to see even in practice.
Bree Hall scored 18 points, MiLaysia Fulwiley added 17 off the bench and top-ranked South Carolina beat Kentucky 103-55 on Sunday to clinch its third consecutive outright Southeastern Conference regular-season championship and eighth in 11 years.
Staley struggles to achieve Sunday’s effort in workouts, which made the game-day product all the more satisfying.
“We have performances like this that shows we’re a really good basketball team and we show up on game day,” she said. “But we can’t just rely on that. We’ve got to perform like that in practice.”
With 6-foot-7 star center Kamilla Cardoso sitting out a second consecutive game, the hot-shooting Gamecocks (27-0, 14-0) widened a 20-point halftime cushion to 74-43 after three quarters behind 12-of-16 shooting on the way to 64% accuracy overall. Te-Hina Paopao (11 points) made all three 3-point attempts among four makes overall in the quarter after missing her only shot before halftime.
Sania Feagin (16 points) took charge with 10 in the fourth to maintain South Carolina’s roll as it hit 23 of 31 after halftime (74%) and 38 of 59 overall to sweep Kentucky for its fourth straight series win and 10th of the past 11 meetings. The Gamecocks won the previous meeting 98-36 in Columbia.
“I feel like this was a better performance by us overall as a team,” said Hall, who was 8 of 10 from the field. “We really played together and shared the ball really well and I think we did a good job shooting as well.”
The blowout came three days after they routed Alabama 72-44 on Thursday to clinch a share of the SEC title and give Staley her 600th career victory.
And every player had at least four points as South Carolina owned nearly every stat in the process at Rupp Arena, home of the No. 17 Kentucky men’s basketball team.
The Gamecocks were 8 of 12 from long range, dominated the paint 52-24 and outscored Kentucky’s bench 42-25. They scored 32 points off 19 Wildcats turnovers.
Fulwiley did her damage from the free throw line by making all 12 attempts. Ashlyn Watkins had 13 points and Chloe Kitts finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Gamecocks, whose balance and depth rang up their sixth 100-point outing this season and first in SEC play.
“The closer we get towards towards the tournament, the more we feel like we’re going to have to prove ourselves,” Watkins said.
Ajae Petty had 16 points and Saniah Tyler 15 for the Wildcats (11-17, 5-9), who shot just 34% after winning their past two games.
Kentucky’s loss spoiled pregame recognition of graduate student Emma King and seniors Nyah Leveretter and Eniya Russell. South Carolina’s Paopao, Cardoso and Sakima Walker were also mentioned.
BIG PICTURE
South Carolina made its first five shots and scored 12 of its first 15 points in the paint to quickly establish offensive flow. They also found each other often, registering 30 assists on 38 baskets. The Gamecocks were even sharper defensively, cutting off every angle to prevent Kentucky from getting any rhythm going other than the third quarter, when the Wildcats made 8 of 17 shots. They also converted 19 of 21 from the line.
Kentucky opened 4 of 17 from the field with seven turnovers to dig a big hole early. An improved second quarter made no difference and the Wildcats struggled from the foul line with just 7 of 18 makes.
“I didn’t like our defensive intensity,” coach Kyra Elzy said. “I thought from the very get-go we were flat, which made us press offensively. And, taking care of the ball. We’re going to have to do that better these upcoming games.”
UP NEXT
South Carolina visits Arkansas on Thursday night before hosting Tennessee in its regular season finale on Sunday.
Kentucky hosts Mississippi in its home finale on Thursday night.
——
https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
The Lions may be looking for a safety within the first two rounds due to injuries to Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. That’s where Jalon Kilgore may come in. He has some minor injuries, but appears to be a relatively low-risk prospect for a team that needs to add health to that room.
Here is the excerpt of my medical report on Jalon Kilgore:
Jalon Kilgore, S (21) – South Carolina
Projected round 2-3.
Concern level 2/10
While his availability has been excellent, Kilgore has a history of hamstring strains in 2025 and 2023. If his 2024 injury is found to be also a hamstring, then happenstance becomes a disturbing trend.
With fast-twitch athletes, hamstrings are going to be very common, and generally don’t present any long-term issues. The difficult trick will be to determine if a certain player is more prone to hamstrings.
What helps Kilgore a lot is his young age.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — One person was critically injured in a motorcycle crash in the Longs area on Thursday afternoon, according to Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR).
Just before 2:00 p.m., crews responded to the area of Old Highway 31 near Hidden River Road.
MORE: 1 critically injured in vehicle rollover near International Dr.
One person was transported to the hospital as a result of the motorcycle crash, HCFR said.
Officials ask that drivers avoid the area as lanes of traffic are currently blocked.
The incident is under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol with assistance from the Horry County Police Department.
Dawn Staley & Gamecocks on ‘rusty’ start in huge win over Southern U
Dawn Staley and Joyce Edwards on their ‘rusty’ start in their first game in two weeks that turned into a massive 69-point win NCAA tournament.
Sports Pulse
COLUMBIA, SC ― With the clock winding down and pressures of the Women’s NCAA Tournament rising, South Carolina senior guard Raven Johnson isn’t playing just to win. She plays in honor of a voice she can no longer hear – but that she still carries with her every time she steps onto the court.
That motivation was on full display Monday night, as the No. 1-seeded Gamecocks took down No. 9 USC to advance to the Sweet 16. Johnson earned her 1,000th career point ― what would prove to be her last point at Colonial Life Arena ― on a steal and fast-break layup that brought a roar from the crowd. The Gamecocks will face No. 4 Oklahoma Saturday in Sacramento, with another Elite Eight appearance on the line.
For Johnson, the moment symbolized something deeper – a career shaped by the memory of her late grandfather. Johnson’s family watched as she achieved the milestone, her mother, grandmother and twin brother. It was a full circle moment for a player whose journey took root in her grandparents’ home.
Her grandparents helped raise her and her twin brother, Richard Johnson. The family lived together and she often calls her grandmother “mother” and her grandfather “papa,” reflecting the impact they had on her upbringing.
“My grandparents did a really good job,” Johnson said. “We wouldn’t be playing sports if it wasn’t for them.”
The Boones introduced the twins to basketball through their church and spent countless hours training them, often pushing them past their limits. A sergeant first class in the Army Reserves, he supervised soldiers in his unit and brought that same discipline to his grandchildren on the court, being demanding, structured and determined.
“I remember being outside and he was training us and I thought it was so hard. I wanted to give up,” Johnson said. “I used to cry, and he would be like ‘You’re not going to cry in my face, and you’re not going to give up.’ It was little things like that that made me tough.”
The standard of grit, accountability and composure, is something Johnson carries today.
“She’s just a winner and she’s a great point guard,” said South Carolina senior guard Ta’Niya Latson, who also played with Johnson at Westlake High School in Atlanta. “When she’s confident, we’re confident. When she’s poised, we’re poised. It’s hard to have that type of personality and leadership on the court, but she carries it well.”
Rodrick Boone was diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2012 and died in April 2013 while Johnson was at a tournament in New Orleans. She was 10 years old.
“I remember I shut down,” Johnson said. “My mind went blank. I was like ‘What?’ I thought he was untouchable.”
Months after her grandfather’s death, something shifted in her mindset.
“I think that’s my why,” Johnson said. “I keep going today because he is my why.”
As a child, Johnson didn’t even like basketball. She preferred T-ball and cheerleading and thought basketball wasn’t for girls, until she saw Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins and began to see herself differently.
“She was so pretty to me and I remember asking ‘Can I be girly and hoop?’” Johnson said.
She was the only girl on her recreational team, earning the nickname “Killer” for her defensive intensity alongside her brother, nicknamed “Thriller” for his offensive ability. The boys tested Johnson by playing physical and trying to push her out of the sport.
“I used to be cooking them out there a little bit, and I think they didn’t like that,” Johnson said.
She said the boys trying to make it hard on her actually made her tougher both physically and mentally.
Her grandmother, Connie Boone, said her grandfather would be proud of what Johnson has become.
“He might be crying but he would be happy about it,” her grandmother said. “You start them young, but you never know what the outcome is going to be.”
Johnson imagines the conversations she’d be having with her papa if he was still here.
“He would still be on my butt riding me, he’ll tell me maybe I need to fix something,” Johnson said. “He’ll be happy and I think he’ll be like ‘All right let’s get back to the drawing board. Let’s get ready for the next opponent.’”
She knows her papa is always watching, and she talks to him a lot at night.
“I just want to tell him that I’m going to keep pushing through even when it gets tough,” Johnson said. “He’s always telling me to push through because nobody cares. Nobody cares if you’re at your lowest, nobody cares.”
On Monday, fans chanted “Raven, Raven, Raven” as she walked off the court for the final time at Colonial Life Arena, Johnson’s moment was bigger than the scoreboard.
It was about diligence, progress and a promise kept.
With another game ahead and the possibility of a deeper tournament run, she isn’t finished. She continues to push and play for the voice that gave her a reason to begin.
Alyssia Hamilton is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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