GREENVILLE, S.C. — 3-peat.
The black words on the white dry erase board were the final by-product of a heart-felt performance by the South Carolina women’s basketball team.
Facing its largest deficit of the game entering the fourth quarter, top-seeded South Carolina used a 19-4 final 10 minutes to pull away and beat second-seeded Mississippi State 59-49 in the championship game of the Southeastern Conference tournament before a crowd of 7,715 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
Junior guard Kaela Davis had a game-high 23 points, while tournament MVP A’ja Wilson added 15 points, nine rebounds, and four blocked shots to help South Carolina (27-4) earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
“Coach (Dawn Staley) sat us down and pointed to her chest and said it is going to take heart,” Wilson said. “We all knew the talent was there. We all knew the effort was there. But it really takes heart in a championship game. That is what got us over the edge, playing with a lot of heart and understanding what kind of team we are and what was on the line.”
South Carolina joined Tennessee as the only SEC teams to win four-straight regular-season titles. It also matched Tennessee (2010-12) with its third-straight SEC tournament title. Last season, South Carolina defeated MSU 66-52 to win the tournament title in Jacksonville, Florida.
This time, though, MSU (29-4) appeared to have the momentum. Teaira McCowan (15 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks) had four points in an 8-2 run in the final 3 minutes, 55 seconds of the third quarter that gave MSU a 45-40 lead entering the final quarter.
Morgan William (14 points) and Victoria Vivians (nine points on 3-for-10 shooting) also had baskets in the spurt. MSU felt so good that senior guard Dominique Dillingham was seen clapping her hands after a defensive stop at the end of the quarter.
But South Carolina flipped the switch before MSU could react.
“We just feel like we didn’t execute down the stretch,” MSU coach Vic Schaefer said. “Morgan and T(eaira) both carried us offensively. (They) really put us on their backs, made some really, really tough shots, some good shots, and competed.
“You just want them to go out there and lay it on the line. I thought our kids did that.”
But MSU couldn’t overcome a 2-for-14 shooting effort from the field in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs also had two turnovers in the quarter. William, who hadn’t committed a turnover in MSU’s first two SEC tournament games, committed seven in part due to a stifling defense that switched taller players onto William to deny her good looks at the basket.
“It’s a game of runs,” said William, who was 7-for-13 from the field. We made our run, they called a timeout, and they made their run. We had to make a run, and we didn’t. That’s what hurt us.”
Davis hit a 3-pointer off an extra pass from Doniyah Cliney, Wilson hit two free throws, and Wilson converted a three-point play to give the Gamecocks the lead for good, 48-45. The burst took only 1:43, but it gave South Carolina the confidence it needed to push through to the end.
Davis said the Gamecocks weren’t fazed by the Bulldogs’ 8-2 run at the end the third quarter that put them in a 45-40 hole with 10 minutes remaining. Spurred on by a talk by Staley that encouraged the players to dig deep and to play with heart, Davis didn’t imagine the rally would happen so ruthlessly fast.
“We were confident in each other and confident that we would find a way to fight back into the game,” Davis said. “It seemed like we were down five and then up. It was a matter of sticking together. Not for one second did anyone hang their heads or feel bad. We just said, ‘Hey guys, we have time and we’re going to figure this out.’ ”
South Carolina then made all of the big plays down the stretch. Tyasha Harris’ 3-pointer with 3:56 to go kicked the Gamecocks’ lead to 53-49. MSU didn’t score in the final 4:43 after a drive by Roshunda Johnson.
“South Carolina is obviously very talented,” Schaefer said. “I thought we had a good plan. I thought we executed extremely well, again, up until whatever time it was on the clock (1:17 left in the third quarter) they had the timeout. I thought we were really good up until that point execution wise.
“At that point, we didn’t make good decisions, stopped throwing the ball inside. They kind of took Mo away, switching the high-ball screen, putting a bigger person in there. That made it a bit of a challenge for us.”
Wilson also didn’t think the tide would turn so quickly. She said she didn’t go out with the mind-set that she had to get an and-one to give the Gamecocks a final push, but she said she knew she had to play a big role vocally and come through when her teammates needed her. She said it is a role she has found comfort in after coming off the bench as a freshman. As a sophomore, Wilson had a chance to play for Staley overseas. She said the experience helped her build confidence and gave her the tools she needed to embrace the role of team captain this season.
“I felt like I understood what the system is here at South Carolina,” Wilson said, “so I just wanted to help all of the young girls and young people we have coming in.”
Even though she technically isn’t a “young player,” Davis was a new fixture in the attack this season. The transfer from Georgia Tech entered the program with a lot of hype because she was a prolific scorer in the Atlantic Coast Conference. She said the Gamecocks “willed out” the final 10 minutes in front of a largely pro-South Carolina crowd.
When asked what it felt like to realize the 3-peat Wilson wrote on the dry erase board after the game, Davis said it was special.
“That’s really cool,” Davis said. “To be here last year and then to sit back and see it, it’s amazing. This year to be in it and playing in it, it is a completely different feeling.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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