WBB: Gamecocks blow out Kentucky 93-63

South Carolina routed Kentucky 93-63 Saturday to advance to the SEC Tournament Championship Game for the second year in a row. Tiffany Mitchell scored 20 points to lead the South Carolina.

The sluggish South Carolina offense that was so ineffective in Friday's game against Auburn was nowhere to be found Saturday. A'ja Wilson and Alaina Coates scored South Carolina's first two baskets of the game, Khadijah Sessions scored on an open court layup, and then Mitchell sandwiched a pair of threes around another Wilson basket. It was everything South Carolina's offense is supposed to be: the ball went inside to the bigs, opening things up for shooters and allowing guards to slash the lane.

"I think that was the best game we've played all season," Wilson said. "Something about the rivalry gets underneath our skin and we really want to play our best."

"We were all synced up," Mitchell said. "It was good basketball."

The Gamecocks led by as much as 11 in the first quarter, but the Wildcats were in familiar territory - they trailed the Gators by 10 in the first quarter Friday and ended up winning by 23. True to form, the Wildcats put together a 12-5 run that closed the gap to four at 35-31. Then Wilson showed the skills that earned her the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Wilson ended consecutive Kentucky possessions with a block, and South Carolina turned both into baskets. With time winding down in the second quarter, Sessions nailed a spot-up three to cap a 7-0 run and put South Carolina back up 11 at the break.

"I was really just trying not to foul, but at the same time not let them get a shot up," Wilson said. "I was just in the right place at the right time and I used my length."

The Gamecocks opened the second half determined not to have a letdown. Evelyn Akhator scored the first basket for the Wildcats, and then it was all Gamecocks. Coates scored seven points, and Wilson and Mitchell each added baskets as South Carolina scored 11 unanswered points. Going back to the end of the first half, it was an 18-2 run that gave the Gamecocks a 20-point lead.

Kentucky made one last push late in the third quarter when it went on an 8-2 run to pull within 14 points. But Kentucky lost track of Bianca Cuevas, who buried an open three to kill the momentum. Cuevas scored on a jumper on the next possession, then drilled a back-breaking three at the end of the shot clock to score all eight points as South Carolina responded with an 8-2 run of its own to take a 20-point lead into the fourth quarter.

Cuevas made another three early in the fourth, followed by a jumper, to turn the rout into a complete blowout. USC head coach Dawn Staley soon emptied the bench to rest her starters, and neither team bothered to play any defense as South Carolina stretched the lead to 30. South Carolina seemed determined to hold on to the 30-point margin of victory as it went 6-6 from three in the fourth, including two by Tina Roy in the final minute of play.

"We could have tried to shoot with our eyes closed and it probably would have went in," Mitchell said.

The 93 points was a season-high for South Carolina, and the most given up by Kentucky this year. It was Kentucky's worst defeat of the season, and South Carolina's 12 threes were also a season-high.

"It felt pretty good," Staley said. "To have the balance that we had on both sides of the ball was great. I want to bottle it up and take it into tomorrow night's championship game."

Notes:

Wilson briefly left the game after falling hard on a layup. She was hit in the air and bounced into Alexis Jennings, causing Wilson to lose her balance and be unable to break her fall. Wilson showed no ill effects upon returning to the game. ... Asia Dozier dished out a career-high nine assists. She had eight assists in the first half, which was a season-high for the Gamecocks. Dozier's previous career high was six. ... South Carolina's 30-point margin of victory is the second-highest ever in a semifinal game. Tennessee beat Vanderbilt 106-45 in 1998. It marked only the fourth time in program history South Carolina beat a ranked opponent by 30 points. ... The 93 points scored was the most scored by any team in an SEC Tournament game in 10 years. ... Eli the Bear was introduced along with Staley, Mitchell, and Wilson during the post-game press conference. He was titled the "unofficial mascot." ... Early in the fourth quarter, Mitchell made a three from the corner, and did a little dance as the ball went through the net. Kentucky fans and players were upset about the show, and Staley rolled her eyes when Mitchell was asked about it. "It felt right at the moment," Mitchell said, shrugging it off. "I was feeling good." Mitchell also suggested that it was a little extra shot at Kentucky, saying, "The game was very emotional." ... South Carolina beat Kentucky in all three meetings this season. The last time South Carolina beat Kentucky three straight times was when it won four straight games from 2002-2003. ... South Carolina will play in the championship game Sunday at 2:30 against Mississippi State. It is the second straight championship game appearance for South Carolina and second in school history.