WBB: Thrice is Nice

South Carolina beat Tennessee 62-56 in an historic win Monday night in Knoxville, Tenn. A'ja Wilson was unstoppable in the second half, and finished with 25 points, six rebounds, and five blocks.

With the win the Gamecocks clinched at least a share of the SEC regular season title for the third straight season, reaching a new height for the program. The win established South Carolina as the cream of the SEC, and it deposed the conference's standard-bearer in the process. But getting there was no easy process.

The Gamecocks had to overcome history: a 1-21 career record in Knoxville. Then they had to overcome themselves. The Gamecocks played probably their worst half of basketball this season in the first half. They had to make four straight shots at the end of the half, including a buzzer-beater by Tina Roy, just to go into the break with as many baskets as turnovers (8). The Gamecocks' defense was stifling, though, and the Lady Vols also has as many turnovers (9) as shots in the first half.

Tennessee's offense woke up in the third quarter. It scored six straight points to retake the lead. That was when Wilson first took control of the game. She scored six points and had a steal during an 8-3 run that gave South Carolina a 32-30 lead. Then came a disastrous defensive possession that gave Tennessee a lead and momentum.

South Carolina committed three fouls and gave up three defensive rebounds on the possession and Tennessee made three free throws to take the lead. Diamond DeShields added two more free throws on the next possession to give Tennessee a 35-32 lead.

Tiffany Mitchell, who scored 12, seized back momentum for the Gamecocks. She buried a game-tying three and then put the Gamecocks ahead for good with a transition layup. She added a free throw on the next possession to complete a personal 6-0 run.

From that point on, it was all about Wilson. She blocked shots and forced turnovers on defense. On offense she scored on a variety of layups and took trip after trip to the free throw line, making 9-11 from the stripe. Roy then capped things off with a pair of clutch threes to push South Carolina's lead toward double digits. Meanwhile, Tennessee self-destructed. At one point Tennessee turned the ball over on five of seven offensive possessions as South Carolina iced the game with a 12-2 run.

Notes:

South Carolina became the first SEC team to beat Tennessee three straight times since Auburn did it in 1987. South Carolina was 2-45 in the previous 47 games against Tennessee. ... South Carolina joined Tennessee (twice) and Auburn as the only teams to win three straight conference championships. ... Tennessee had a whopping 43-30 rebounding edge. ... Alaina Coates was stifled offensively. She got only one shot attempt, with a little over five minutes left in the game, and finished the game scoreless. However she was a force on defense, grabbing 10 rebounds and notching four steals in just 26 minutes. ... Khadijah Sessions finished with 13 points and went 8-11 on free throw shooting. ... South Carolina returns to action Thursday night against Georgia with a chance to clinch the SEC title outright. South Carolina also clinched its first SEC title with a home win against Georgia.