Starting strong: No. 1 Gamecocks open SEC tournament with victory over Arkansas

On to the next one.

No. 1 South Carolina (30-0) defeated Arkansas 93-66 on Friday to advance to the semifinal round of the SEC women’s basketball tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The crowd favored the in-state Gamecocks, who played there for the first time since 2021.

“It gives easy access for the ‘fams’ to come,” redshirt freshman guard Raven Johnson said. “I feel like our fams give us a lot of energy. Hearing them scream, it gets us going.”

Each team went back and forth in the first quarter, with the Gamecocks leading by seven heading into the second.

Eighth-seeded Arkansas (21-12) managed to hang around and take advantage of USC’s low shooting percentage, but South Carolina got into a flow late in the first half and closed on a 19-9 run.

“Communication is big for us,” senior guard Brea Beal said. “If we get beat, we have to switch out quickly, little things like that. We just have to make adjustments, and I feel like we did.”

Kierra Fletcher knocked down a shot clock-beating 3-pointer late in the second quarter to give USC a 15-point halftime lead.

The Gamecocks built on their lead in the second half, thanks to the offense of fifth-year senior Victaria Saxton. USC also played well defensively, holding the Razorbacks to 7-of-20 shooting in the third quarter.

The Gamecocks play in the SEC semifinals Saturday and against Ole Miss.

VETERANS SET THE TONE

Saxton shined for the Gamecocks in the first game of her last postseason. She scored a season-high 19 points Friday, and was one shy of tying her career high mark.

Saxton managed to get good positioning in the post for South Carolina, making it easy on her teammates to dish her the ball. She cleaned up a few shots after offensive rebounds.

“I think we were doing a really good job getting the ball inside,” Saxton said. “We did really well posting up, and our guards did really well attacking and finding us.”

Some of Saxton’s minutes have decreased this year due to the production of All-SEC performer Kamilla Cardoso, head coach Dawn Staley said, but that Saxton never took issue with it.

“You want great performances from your players, but there are some players that are just a little bit special because of who they are and because of what they give and because of what they sacrifice,” Staley said. “V is one of those players where you want her to succeed, no matter what.”

Fletcher also was one of South Carolina’s most reliable scorers Friday, finishing with 12 points on 4-7 shooting with six rebounds.

This is the second time in three games that Fletcher scored in double figures for USC.

Laeticia Amihere was productive in the fourth quarter and ended with 16 points.

ALIYAH BOSTON’S ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE

Aliyah Boston recorded her 79th career double-double against Arkansas with 11 points and 10 rebounds on 5-of-7 shooting. She played a strong game all-around, adding five assists and four blocks to her statline.

Friday was the sixth time this season that Boston blocked four shots in a game.

Boston made shots in the flow of the offense and often found open players for looks as well.

Boston’s production was one of the key components that gave USC a 15-point lead at halftime. When the team was struggling and looking for offense, she was part of the lineup that helped recharge the scoring.

South Carolina’s last game against Arkansas also featured a Boston double-double, a contest in which she broke the 40-year-old program record for double-doubles previously held by Sheila Foster.

MAKE IT 30

South Carolina is now 30-0, extending the record for its best start to a season.

USC holds a program-best 36-game winning streak and will carry it into Saturday’s semifinal game.

There have been nine teams in women’s basketball history to go undefeated for an entire season in the NCAA era. Last year’s national championship team (35-2) was the best South Carolina has finished in a completed season. The 2017 title winning team finished 33-4.

USC also went 32-1 in the 2019-20 campaign before the coronavirus outbreak ended the remainder of the season.

SEC tournament scores, schedule

Wednesday

G1: No. 13 Texas A&M 77, No. 12 Vanderbilt 70

G2: No. 14 Kentucky 72, No. 11 Florida 57

Thursday

G3: No. 8 Arkansas 85, No. 9 Missouri 74

G4: No. 13 Texas A&M 79, No. 5 Mississippi State 72

G5: No. 7 Georgia 63, No. 10 Auburn 47

G6: No. 14 Kentucky 71, No. 6 Alabama 58

Friday

G7: No. 1 South Carolina 93, No. 8 Arkansas 66

G8: No. 4 Ole Miss 77, No. 13 Texas A&M 60

G9: No. 2 LSU vs. No. 7 Georgia, 6pm (SEC Network)

G10: No. 3 Tennessee vs. No. 14 Kentucky, 25 minutes after G9 (SEC Network)

Saturday

G11: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 4 Ole Miss, 4:30pm (ESPNU)

G12: Winner of G9 vs. Winner of G10, 25 minutes after G11 (ESPNU)

Sunday, March 5

Championship: Winner of G11 vs. Winner of G12 (ESPN)