GREENVILLE, S.C. — The no.3 South Carolina Gamecocks(31-3, 15-1 SEC) fell 78-61 to the no.4 Texas Longhorns(31-3,13-3 SEC) in the Southeastern Conference women’s basketball tournament championship game.
The two teams split in the regular season which gave the Gamecocks their only conference loss. Texas won the first meeting 66-64 in November on a neutral court. South Carolina was able to get their revenge with a 68-65 win at Colonial Life Arena in January to set the stage for the championship matchup.
It was a rough afternoon for the Gamecocks as the Longhorns jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Justice Carlton outscored South Carolina by herself in the first quarter with 13 points as they led 27-12 at the end of the first quarter.
South Carolina found themselves down 48-25 at halftime but they continued to battle hard in the second half. They were able to cut into the deficit in the third quarter and only trailed 57-44 at the end of the quarter.
The fourth quarter looked promising for the Gamecocks, but they couldn’t overcome the early game avalanche by the Longhorns. They managed to get within 11 points with 5:22 left in regulation, but of course Texas answered with a huge three-pointer. Then, they pushed the lead back to 16 points with a tough finish in the lane late in the game and put the Gamecocks to bed for the afternoon.
The win by Texas snaps South Carolina’s three game SEC tournament title win streak. Also, the Longhorns became just the third team to win the title in the last decade that was not name South Carolina. Madison Booker scored 18 points in the championship game and was named tournament MVP.
“When her shot is going in like that, they are very difficult to beat,” Dawn Staley said after the game.
This rematch from last year’s game also gave the Longhorns their revenge. In 2025, the Gamecocks defeated them 19 points in the championship game to capture their third consecutive SEC tournament title.
“Every time that we would try to make a run, we had just like mental lapses, like uncharacteristic turnovers,” Staley said. “Some of it was us, some of it was Texas — and they took advantage of it every single time.
Despite the tough loss, Staley was optimistic especially since they were able to win the national championship after the 2022 loss in the SEC Championship game.
“It might be the very thing this team needs,” Staley said. “It’s not what I would have thought coming in today, but now that we’re here and it’s a reality, you search for things that have a connection that can give your team what it needs to make this run for a national championship.”
Both teams will have a few days off before selection Sunday, which will take place on March 15. The Gamecocks will still be a number one seed in the tournament along with UConn, UCLA and Texas with the Huskies getting the top overall seed in the entire tournament.
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