Cooke, South Carolina claim SEC Tournament title

Greenville, SC– No. 1 seed South Carolina (32-0, 16-0 SEC) was crowned the 2023 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament champion after defeating No. 3 seed Tennessee (23-11, 13-3 SEC), 74-58, on Sunday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

It was South Carolina’s seventh tournament title in the last nine seasons.

The Gamecocks beat UT with dominant play from the duo of Zia Cooke and Aliyah Boston. Tennessee was unable to mount a comeback for the second night in a row after coming from 17 points down to defeat 2-seed LSU in the semifinals on Saturday.

Cooke led South Carolina with 24 points and three steals as Boston fell three rebounds short of a double-double with 18 points and seven boards.

Jordan Horston posted 19 points for the Lady Vols and Rickea Jackson scored 17 points, ending her streak of 20-point consecutive games.

Boston went to work scoring four straight points for the Gamecocks in the first.

Boston made its first five field goal attempts, scoring 10 of South Carolina’s first 21 points.

But at the end of the quarter, Horston brought UT within two, 21-19, after draining a fadeaway jumper with a defender in his face.

Brea Beal scored or assisted on 17 points in the first quarter for the Gamecocks.

South Carolina continued to pour on early in the second quarter. Tennessee had to call a timeout when Sara Puckett missed a three and Cooke made a three pointer on the other end, extending the Gamecocks’ lead to 31-21.

The Lady Vols seemed to regroup after a timeout. Horston scored six straight, leading the charge to cut the deficit down to single digits at 35-29.

Cooke was held to just two points in the first quarter but found a rhythm in the second and scored 12.

South Carolina entered the half with a 37-31 advantage. Coach Dawn Staley then told the team they needed to be “more physical,” and warned them to keep running on the gas to avoid a repeat of the previous year when they let Kentucky hang around and end up losing. to the Wildcats in the SEC title game.

The Gamecocks appeared to get Staley’s halftime message.

Cooke continued his dominance for the first time since showing in the second quarter. At the 5:40 mark in the third, he turned defense into offense when he lifted Horston’s pocket and then converted his own layup, making it 48-38 and starting a style that scored 20 of South Carolina’s last 29 points.

The Lady Vols tried to start a late push led by Hortson and Karoline Striplin’s three, but Cooke followed up with a three of her own, shutting down the possibility of a Tennessee comeback.

Cooke’s 24 points are more than the first two SEC Tournament games combined, 16, and it is also the most he has scored in a conference tournament game.

Until Next Time

Both teams await NCAA Tournament goals.

The 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Madness bracket will be revealed during the Selection Show at 8 pm ET on Sunday, March 12 on ESPN.