For the second consecutive game, sophomore forward A’ja Wilson led the South Carolina women’s basketball team with 26 points and eight blocks to guide the Gamecocks to victory over a ranked conference opponent. In a game with 19 lead changes, the Gamecocks never led by more than six points and left Colonial Life Arena with a 59-58 victory over No. 15/11 Texas A&M.
The Gamecocks led for the majority of the fourth quarter, but the lead was in jeopardy when senior guard Tiffany Mitchell missed a pair of free throws with 20 seconds left in the game. The Aggies trailed 57-55 with a chance to tie the game when Jordan Jones headed to the free throw line. Jones missed the first free throw, which changed Texas A&M’s strategy for the final seconds.
“Jordan is too good of a player to miss the front end of a two-shot foul,” Coach Gary Blair said. “Then she was supposed to miss the second one," Blair said.
Jones made the second free throw, cutting the South Carolina lead to just one, before fouling out on the following play, sending Khadijah Sessions to the line. Sessions would also make just one of two, giving the Aggies a chance to tie or even win the game in regulation. Taylor Cooper heaved the inbound pass all the way down the court to Chelsea Jennings, who would make the game-tying layup.
With under two seconds to go, it appeared the game was likely headed to overtime. However, when the Gamecocks inbounded the ball to Sessions, Shlonte Allen intentionally committed a foul in the backcourt, and Sessions would head to the line for two yet again.
“That was not knowing the game,” Blair said, when asked about the foul. “As an athlete and as a coach, you live with that the rest of your life," Blair said.
Sessions would make the second free throw, and Rachel Mitchell snatched the inbound at midcourt to secure the victory. In a game where South Carolina was just 11-19 from the free-throw line, the Gamecocks made just enough free throws down the stretch to push their record to a perfect 17-0.
Despite the thrilling finish, this game was all about Wilson. The 6-foot-5-inch sophomore was an unstoppable force in the paint, making 11 of her 19 shots and playing 38 minutes of action. She also pulled down eight rebounds for the Gamecocks, even though the Aggies held a 43-33 advantage on the glass.
Wilson filled the void for junior center Alaina Coates, who had just five points on five shots, well below the 12.7 points she averaged coming into the game. South Carolina also got a boost from sophomore guard Bianca Cuevas, who added nine points, seven of which came in the fourth quarter.
The Gamecocks now move to 17-0 following back-to-back wins over ranked conference opponents in the Aggies and the Kentucky Wildcats. Next up, the team travels to Auburn to take on the Auburn Tigers on Thursday at 7 p.m.