Dawn Staley makes 'best' declaration ahead South Carolina's SEC title game vs. Texas
Yesterday at 02:32 PM
South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley said her team is playing its best basketball of the season ahead of Sunday's SEC Tournament title game against No. 1 Texas. The fifth-ranked Gamecocks (29-3) are seeking their third straight conference tournament championship and fifth in six seasons.
“I think we're playing our best basketball, individually and collectively,” Staley said, per Field Level Media. “We're doing it together.”
South Carolina advanced to the championship game after defeating No. 10 Oklahoma 93-75 in Saturday's semifinal. Freshman Joyce Edwards led the Gamecocks with 21 points, MiLaysia Fulwiley added 19 off the bench and Sania Feagin scored 14. The Gamecocks forced 16 turnovers and turned them into 22 points while limiting Oklahoma to just 28 first-half points.
Sunday's matchup against Texas (31-2) will be the third meeting between the two teams this season. They split the regular season series, with each team winning on its home court. Texas enters the game on a 15-game win streak and advanced to the final by defeating LSU 56-49. SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker scored 25 points in the semifinal, including 18 in the first half.
Texas women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer said the win against LSU was "a toughness win."
"And I told (the Longhorns) in the locker room, you better bring that toughness hat tomorrow, because that's what championship Sunday is all about," he said. "It's about toughness, it's about resilience. It's about being able to come in here and compete at the highest level."
South Carolina women’s basketball meets expectations
South Carolina guard Fulwiley, who has been a key contributor throughout the season, said South Carolina is meeting its high standards.
“Teams don't come out here and do what we do and how often we do it,” Fulwiley said. “So I feel like as a team we're living up to our expectations.”
The Gamecocks' depth has been a strength in the tournament, with multiple players contributing offensively. Four players scored in double figures in South Carolina’s quarterfinal win over Vanderbilt, and five did so against Oklahoma. South Carolina has won its last four games by an average of 26.5 points.
Edwards said the program's culture of winning attracted her to South Carolina.
“One of the reasons I came to South Carolina is to win,” she said. “We're a winning program. That's what we do. We're just living up to expectations.”
The SEC title game will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. CST in Greenville, South Carolina. A win would secure the Gamecocks' sixth SEC Tournament championship under Staley.
Reporting by Steve Reed of the Associated Press contributed to this article.
The post Dawn Staley makes 'best' declaration ahead South Carolina’s SEC title game vs. Texas appeared first on ClutchPoints.
