GREENVILLE, S.C. — In Greenville, South Carolina, the fourth-ranked Texas team secured its inaugural Southeastern Conference women’s basketball tournament championship on Sunday, triumphing over the three-time reigning champions, third-ranked South Carolina, with a score of 78-61, after quickly establishing a 14-0 advantage, largely thanks to Madison Booker’s 18 points.
Booker, whose three-game performance saw her average 20 points with a 61% shooting accuracy, earned the title of tournament MVP. Justice Carlton contributed an additional 15 points, and Jordan Lee scored 12 for the Longhorns, who finished with a 31-3 record and became part of the SEC in 2024.
“Our presence in the SEC is rightful,” stated Booker. “We are here to compete and to achieve victory.”
The Texas squad achieved a 57% field goal percentage, thereby compensating for their 19-point defeat by the Gamecocks in the previous year’s final match. Booker completed the game hitting 8 out of 15 field goal attempts, with 14 of her points coming in the latter half, on 6-of-11 shooting.
South Carolina’s coach, Staley, commented, “When her shots are consistently falling, they become an extremely formidable opponent.”
Joyce Edwards accumulated 13 points for the Gamecocks (31-3), whose consecutive victory run of 12 games was brought to an end.
These formidable teams, both projected by ESPN to receive top seeds when the NCAA tournament participants are revealed on March 15 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), had previously divided two close matchups this season; Texas secured a 66-64 victory at a neutral location in November, while South Carolina exacted some payback with a 68-65 win on its home court in January.
Vic Schaefer, the coach for Texas, achieved a unique distinction by becoming the first to claim the women’s SEC tournament championship with more than one institution, having previously led Mississippi State to the title in 2019.
Nevertheless, this particular contest was never in doubt, as Texas converted its initial seven attempts, six of which were from close range, surging to a 14-0 lead by capitalizing on five early turnovers committed by South Carolina, until Tessa Johnson eventually scored a three-pointer, putting the Gamecocks on the scoreboard.
“The situation was unfavorable,” Edwards remarked. “As starters, our responsibility was to establish the pace on the court, and we failed to do so.”
Justice Carlton alone surpassed South Carolina’s scoring in the opening quarter, concluding with 13 points as Texas established a 27-12 advantage with a 68% field goal success rate. This represented the highest point total conceded by the Gamecocks to a fellow SEC team in over ten years, based on ESPN Research.
Despite a sizable South Carolina fan presence, the Longhorns maintained their intensity, extending their lead to 17 points by halftime – marking the most significant halftime disadvantage for South Carolina in the SEC tournament during Staley’s tenure.
The Longhorns maintained their forceful play near the basket, accumulating 40 points from 20-of-34 attempts within the painted area, even though South Carolina challenged 76% of those shots, as reported by ESPN Research. This marked the seventeenth occasion this season where Texas registered a minimum of 40 points inside the paint.
Texas guard Rori Harmon stated, “Defeat is unacceptable. One should not take to the court unless prepared for victory.”
South Carolina managed to narrow the margin to 11 points with 5:22 remaining, but Lee responded with a three-pointer and subsequently extended the lead to 16 with a driving layup when two minutes were left. Booker then secured the Longhorns’ consecutive eighth victory with a jump shot.
“On each occasion we attempted to mount a comeback, we experienced mental errors, such as uncharacteristic turnovers,” Staley observed. “Part of it stemmed from our own play, part from Texas’s — and they capitalized on these opportunities without fail.”
Staley remarked that if any positive could be drawn from the defeat, it was that the previous instance the Gamecocks lost in the SEC championship match, in 2022, they subsequently claimed the national title.
“This outcome might be precisely what this squad requires,” Staley commented. “It’s not what I would have envisioned upon arriving today, but now that we are facing this reality, one seeks connections that can equip the team with what is necessary for a national championship pursuit.”
The Gamecocks concluded their performance making 12 out of 23 attempts from the free throw line.
This report received contributions from ESPN Research and The Associated Press.
