DULUTH, Ga. - Kentucky’s big edge in SEC Tournament semifinals experience won out over South Carolina’s regular-season title.
Bria Goss scored 14 points and No. 12 Kentucky upset No. 5 South Carolina 68-58 Saturday to advance to the SEC Tournament championship game.
DeNesha Stallworth and Linnae Harper each had 12 points for Kentucky (24-7), which will play today in its fourth SEC tournament final in the last five years. The Wildcats, who won their only title in 1982, will play Tennessee.
South Carolina, playing in only its second semifinal, never made a serious comeback bid, pulling no closer than eight points in the second half.
South Carolina (27-4), the SEC regular-season champion, struggled early. The Gamecocks committed 16 turnovers, most coming in the first 10 minutes.
NO. 6 TENNESSEE 86, NO. 15 TEXAS A&M 77
Isabelle Harrison had 20 points and 13 rebounds and No. 6 Tennessee held off No. 15 Texas A&M.
Tennessee (26-5) will play No. 12 Kentucky for the SEC title today.
Meighan Simmons had 15 points and Bashaara Graves had 14 for Tennessee.
Courtney Walker led Texas A&M with 26 points. Courtney Williams added 22, but the high-scoring sophomores were not enough to beat the Lady Vols.
Texas A&M (24-8), the defending tournament champion, led by 10 points in the first half but couldn’t match Tennessee’s inside game. The Lady Vols had a 48-26 rebound advantage and scored 50 points in the paint.
At a glance
SEC WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT At The Arena at Gwinnett Center Duluth, Ga.
SATURDAY’S SEMIFINALS Kentucky 68, South Carolina 58 Tennessee 86, Texas A&M 77
TODAY’S CHAMPIONSHIP All times Central Kentucky vs. Tennessee, 2:30 p.m.
Sports, Pages 27 on 03/09/2014