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Chloe Kitts powers South Carolina to SEC title with a double-double (1:32)
Chloe Kitts' double-double lifts South Carolina to clinch share of SEC regular season title after defeating Kentucky 78-66. (1:32)
ESPN News Services
Mar 2, 2025, 04:23 PM ET
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Tessa Johnson scored 16 points, and the No. 6 South Carolina women's basketball team claimed a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship with a 78-66 victory over No. 15 Kentucky on Sunday.
No. 1 Texas defeated Florida 72-46 on Sunday, so the Longhorns and Gamecocks both finished 15-1 in conference play. Because the teams split the season series, a coin flip Sunday determined that South Carolina would have the No. 1 seed for this week's SEC tournament in Greenville, South Carolina.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey flipped the coin from Birmingham, Alabama, during halftime of LSU's game against Mississippi to determine the top seed.
"We watched in the locker room and it was kind of exciting," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said.
Te-Hina Paopao added 13 points and Chloe Kitts had 12 points and 10 rebounds for South Carolina (27-3), which has won at least a share of the regular-season title for the past four seasons.
Clara Strack scored 23 points and Georgia Amoore had 16 points for Kentucky (22-6, 11-5), which failed to build on the momentum of its 82-58 home win over No. 11 Tennessee on Thursday night. Kentucky struggled from deep, converting just 6 of 23 shots from beyond the arc.
South Carolina led 41-33 at halftime, but Kentucky closed to 63-62 with seven minutes left on a driving layup by Amoore. The Wildcats had a chance to take the lead on their next possession, but MiLaysia Fulwiley blocked Teonni Key's shot under the basket and drove the length of the floor for a layup, igniting a 12-2 run.
The Gamecocks outscored the Wildcats 13-2 in the final six minutes.
Both teams will compete this week in the SEC tournament. Kentucky was locked in as the No. 4 seed whether it won or lost on Sunday.
The No. 1 seed gives South Carolina the advantage of playing the early game on Friday at noon ET, which gives the team more rest before the semifinals than Texas, which tips off six hours later.
However, the Longhorns potentially have the easier path to the final. Third-seeded LSU, which could face Texas in the semifinals, will be without star Flau'Jae Johnson for the tournament with a shin injury. Johnson is averaging a team-high 18.9 points per game.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
