South Carolina Advances to SEC Championship, Defeats LSU in Hard-Fought Semifinal

GREENVILLE, S.C. — The South Carolina Gamecocks secured their seventh consecutive appearance in the SEC Championship game, defeating the LSU Tigers 83-77 in a challenging semifinal matchup on Saturday, March 7, 2026. The win extends South Carolina’s streak as the longest by any school in conference history.

A Resilient Performance for the Gamecocks

Despite trailing at halftime – a rare occurrence in SEC Tournament play, having not happened in seven years – South Carolina demonstrated resilience, ultimately overcoming LSU. Coach Dawn Staley acknowledged the game’s intensity, stating, “Do I want the game to be played that tightly and exhausting our players on semifinals night? No. But you have to do what you have to do to win and advance, and our players did that.”

Raven Johnson Leads South Carolina to Victory

Senior Raven Johnson led the Gamecocks with a career-high 22 points, shooting 9-of-14 from the floor and tying her career high with four 3-pointers. Ta’Niya Latson added 19 points to the South Carolina offense. Johnson’s performance marked the second time this season she has scored a career-high against LSU, having previously scored 19 points in the regular-season game.

MiLaysia Fulwiley Shines for LSU

LSU guard MiLaysia Fulwiley, facing her former team, led all scorers with 24 points on 10-for-21 shooting, adding four assists, one rebound, one steal, and one block. Dawn Staley praised Fulwiley’s talent, saying, “I still think MiLaysia is a generational talent. She does things out there on the floor that I haven’t seen a whole lot of female basketball players do. And I’m genuinely happy for her.” Staley added, “She’s actually doing some of the things that we talked about her doing, just direct line drives and making plays.”

Late-Game Struggles for the Tigers

LSU struggled to capitalize on opportunities in the second half, particularly in the opening minutes of the third quarter, shooting 1-of-9 from the field. Late in the game, with five points separating the teams and 45 seconds remaining, LSU failed to execute its intended strategy of trapping and fouling, allowing 23 seconds to run off the clock before South Carolina called a timeout, effectively securing the win.

Staley and Mulkey Reflect on the Game

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley emphasized the difficulty of competing at a high level in the SEC, stating, “When I came to the SEC 18 years ago, we came here for just this, to play against the best, to coach against the best, to try to outfox the other coaches down the sideline.” LSU coach Kim Mulkey expressed frustration with her team’s inability to consistently perform the “little things” that separate great teams from elite teams, noting that her team is “so close” but needs to improve its composure and execution.

Looking Ahead

South Carolina (31-2) will face No. 3 seed Texas (30-3) in the SEC Championship final on March 8 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN. LSU will now prepare for the NCAA tournament.