By Austin Rader

The 7 seeded Alabama Crimson Tide met the 2 seeded South Carolina Gamecocks in a quarterfinal clash in the women’s basketball SEC Tournament, with South Carolina winning 75-63.

South Carolina has beaten Alabama the last 18 times, with Bama’s last win occurring in 2008 when Goerge W. Bush was still President..

The Lady Gamecocks seemed more rested heading into the game, as they came out strong going on a 12-0 run to start the game. Zia Cooke led the way making two three-pointers. She hit a three at the buzzer to close out the first quarter. South Carolina led 26-6 after the opening period.

The Crimson Tide didn’t look good from the start. South Carolina controlled the game and were making Alabama look sloppy.

South Carolina kept their foot on the gas in the second quarter with Destanni Henderson taking control and reaching double figures. By the five minute mark of the second quarter South Carolina led 39-12.

But the Crimson Tide battled back and out-scored the Gamecocks by four in the second quarter. Jasmine Walker hit a big three to close out the half. Walker is a projected 1st round pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft.

Hannah Barber followed up Jasmine Walker’s three with a three of her own at the buzzer. 

The Gamecocks led 42-26 at the half.

The Lady Crimson Tide kept the momentum going, cutting the lead to 12 early in the second half. But the Gamecocks responded with a couple baskets in the paint to stretch their lead back to 16.

That’s how the second half went. Just when Alabama would cut into the double-digit lead, the Gamecocks would come right back. The Tide couldn’t overcome the cold start. Turnovers were an issue early when the Gamecocks jumped out to a 12-0 lead. Alabama was also out-rebounded 36-29 overall.

The closest Alabama got to was cutting the game to seven with five minutes to play. Destanni Henderson and Zia Cooke both made shots to put South Carolina back up to help put the game away and advance to the Semi-Finals. 

Positives for the Tide

Jordan Lewis led all scorers with 25 points going 9-10 from the free throw line. Ariyah Copeland had 17 points and 7 rebounds. She only missed one shot from the field.

What’s Next

The Crimson Tide will now sit back and wait for the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, which airs on Monday, March 15 at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.