Kentucky falls to South Carolina 87–64 in SEC Tournament quarterfinal

GREENVILLE, S.C. (LEX18) — Just five days after meeting in Historic Memorial Coliseum, Kentucky and South Carolina faced off again Friday in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals in Greenville, South Carolina.

Kentucky entered as the No. 9 seed after back-to-back wins in the opening rounds, while the top-seeded Gamecocks made their tournament debut following a double-bye. The Wildcats had pushed South Carolina to a 60-56 game earlier in the week, the fewest points scored by Dawn Staley's squad all season.

But after 12 quarters of basketball in three days, fatigue is inevitable.

Facing a deep South Carolina squad in a crowd that largely favored the Gamecocks, Kentucky couldn’t find a response and saw its SEC Tournament run come to an end in an 87-64 loss.

Tonie Morgan opened the scoring for Kentucky with a layup, but South Carolina answered quickly and used a 9–0 run to take control. Amelia Hassett stopped the surge with a three-pointer, and Clara Strack added another from deep to cut the deficit to 13–8 midway through the first quarter.

Kentucky briefly pulled within one late in the period after an Asia Boone three and a Teonni Key post move made it 14–13. The Gamecocks closed the quarter strong, though, taking a 22–16 lead into the second.

South Carolina extended the margin early in the second, pushing it to double digits before Madina Okot’s three made it 29–16 with 7:30 left in the half and forced a Kentucky timeout.

Turnovers continued to hurt the Wildcats. Kentucky committed 10 in the first half, including one that led to a Tessa Johnson three-pointer that gave South Carolina 13 points off UK miscues.

The Gamecocks controlled the rest of the quarter and carried a 44–27 lead into the break.

Strack and Hassett led Kentucky with six points each, while Johnson paced all scorers with 12 and Okot added 10 for South Carolina. Kentucky shot 41% in the half, but turnovers proved costly as South Carolina committed just three.

After the break, South Carolina ran away in the third quarter, stretching its lead over Kentucky to 57–33 with 6:20 remaining. The Gamecocks opened the half on a 13–6 run.

The Wildcats committed their 12th turnover of the game, which South Carolina converted into part of its 17 points off UK miscues. By that point, the Gamecocks had three players in double figures while Kentucky had none, marking the Wildcats’ largest deficit of the season.

South Carolina continued to control the quarter and carried a 68–45 lead into the final 10 minutes.

Shot selection wasn’t the main issue for Kentucky after three quarters, still shooting 42% from the field. But after playing its third game in three days at the SEC Tournament, fatigue appeared to be setting in as the Gamecocks continued to stretch its lead.

With the outcome largely decided entering the fourth quarter, both teams turned to their benches for much of the final 10 minutes. Kenny Brooks pulled most of Kentucky’s starters, leaving Asia Boone on the floor as the Wildcats played out the closing minutes.

Turnovers remained an issue for UK which finished with 19. South Carolina converted those into 25 points to close out an 87–64 quarterfinal victory.

Amelia Hassett led Kentucky with 15 points, knocking down all five of her three-point attempts, while Teonni Key added 13. Joyce Edwards paced all scorers with 21 for South Carolina.

Kentucky now returns to Lexington to await its destination for the NCAA Tournament.

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