While it was South Carolina’s seniors who were honored before Sunday afternoon’s game against the Kentucky Wildcats, it was junior A’ja Wilson who led the way for the Gamecocks in a 95-87 victory that secured them a share of the regular-season SEC championship.
Wilson led South Carolina both in scoring and on the glass, notching 25 points and 10 rebounds. She was also able to have an impact on the defensive end of the floor, adding two blocks and a steal to round out a dominant performance that was vital to the Gamecocks' title-clinching victory.
The second half of South Carolina’s frontcourt duo, Alaina Coates, also had a big game despite leaving the game at Missouri last Sunday during the third quarter with an ankle injury. Coates came one rebound shy of her own double-double, as the senior scored 13 points and nine rebounds.
On the defensive end, guard Kaela Davis was tasked with guarding Kentucky’s leading scorer, Makayla Epps, who is averaging 17.1 points per game. Davis limited Epps to just 10 points, and kept the senior from ever fully settling into the game.
“Kaela did a great job of just making her work for catches and keeping the pressure on her,” head coach Dawn Staley said of Davis’ defense work against Epps.
Sunday’s victory marks the fourth consecutive regular-season SEC championship win for the Gamecocks, and South Carolina now joins Tennessee as one of two programs to accomplish the feat of winning four straight titles.
“We were really just concentrating on playing well, doing what we need to do, and to not allow the festivities of a Senior Day to impact that in a negative way,” Staley said on how the team views their fourth consecutive SEC title.
With their final regular season contest now behind them, South Carolina now turns their attention to the SEC Tournament, which begins on March 1 and will take place just 90 minutes up I-26 from Columbia in Greenville, South Carolina.
“I think it gives us confidence. I think it’s good for it to be home, just kind of having fans around and having that [Colonial Life Arena] feeling there, I think it is going to boost our confidence,” Kaela Davis said on the close proximity of the SEC tournament to home. “But going into it I feel like we’re a very confident bunch, and it’s going to be a fun post-season.”