LSU Tigers at South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina storms back over LSU to reach 1st SEC final

Now they'd like to add the school's first conference tournament title to their growing resume as well.

Led by 16 points from Alaina Coates, the No. 3 Gamecocks (29-2) mounted a furious second-half comeback to avoid being upset in the semifinals for a second straight year with a 74-54 win over LSU on Saturday.

They did so after trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half before shooting a remarkable 18-for-23 (78.3 percent) from the field in the second while winning their first SEC tournament semifinal game in three chances.

"It means that we're doing the right things, we're doing it the right way," Staley said. "Sometimes doing it the right way requires you to be a little bit more patient than we would like. ... It means our program is continuing to grow."

South Carolina appeared on the verge of faltering in the semifinals for a second straight year, falling behind 24-13 early in the first half.

"It was a well-fought game for about 30 minutes," Caldwell said. "My young team, they've got to grow and learn from this and understand that you've got to play with that same intensity for 40 minutes."

The Lady Tigers led 35-31 early in the second half after a drive by Harden. South Carolina, though, followed with a 26-7 run to go up 56-42 and put an emphatic finish on what had been a struggle for much of the game.

"I know I missed a few in the first half, but in the second half my teammates just encouraged me to keep shooting the ball," Roy said. "And they eventually started falling."

Aleighsa Welch had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Gamecocks, the back-to-back SEC regular-season champions, while Coates added eight rebounds and was 8-of-11 from the field.

The Lady Tigers lost by 24 points in each of their two defeats to South Carolina earlier this season, but they led by as many as 11 in the first half before settling for a 31-27 halftime lead.

"It was fun, but it wasn't enough," Harden said.

TIP-INS

South Carolina: The Gamecocks were making their third semifinal appearance in the past four years. They were upset by Kentucky 68-58 last year as the top seed and lost to second-seeded Tennessee 74-58 in 2012.

MITCHELL'S STRUGGLES

Tiffany Mitchell, the two-time league player of the year, was scoreless in the first half after missing all four of her shots. The junior guard didn't score until hitting a jumper with 9:23 remaining in the game, and she finished with four points on 1-of-6 shooting against the LSU defense.

UP NEXT

LSU must wait to hear its postseason destination.

South Carolina faces Tennessee in the SEC championship game Sunday.

How can I watch Tigers vs. Gamecocks?

• TV Channel: Tigers vs Gamecocks 2021 College Basketball, week 17, is broadcasted on ESPNU.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Venue: Simmons Bank Arena

Location: North Little Rock, AR
Capacity: