SEC shocker: Gamecocks upset by Arkansas to end tournament title streak
The quest for five is over, just barely after it began.
No. 2 seed South Carolina women’s basketball was stunned by No. 10 seed Arkansas in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament on Friday, falling 95-89 to end the Gamecocks’ streak of four consecutive conference tourney titles.
The Gamecocks (21-9) now await their NCAA tournament fate. The selection show is March 18.
Junior forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan scored a career-high 27 points, and junior guard Tyasha Harris tallied 24 of her own. But the Gamecocks had no answer for the Razorbacks’ electric 3-point shooting.
“They keep driving the ball at you, they got spacers on the floor that can knock down shots, and they were pretty accurate today. So when they got it going on from driving it and (were) accurate from 3-point land, it makes it challenging,” Gamecock coach Dawn Staley said.
Arkansas’ 95 points are the most Carolina has allowed in an SEC game in the Staley era, and All-SEC guard Chelsea Dungee exploded for 31 points.
“She just kept going. She never stopped,” junior guard Te’a Cooper said of Dungee. “The lane was open, we tried to switch it up, but she was making everything, and they were getting foul calls.”
The Razorbacks (19-13) gave USC trouble when they first met, before the Gamecocks rallied for an 87-79 win. This time, South Carolina twice rallied from double-digit deficits to close to within one possession. But it wasn’t enough as Arkansas made 11 3-pointers and 26 free throws, both the most USC has allowed in SEC play this year.
“We’re a resilient group. But we were a moral victory or moral loss team 10 years ago,” Staley said of her team’s effort. “We got to get it done. We just flat out, we have to find a way to get it done.”
From the get-go, Arkansas refused to back down despite not having a win over a ranked opponent all season. Junior guard Jailyn Mason hit a 3 to open the game’s scoring, and South Carolina never led by more than five points early, as both teams shot over 50 percent from the field to start.
Throughout the first half, the Gamecocks and Razorbacks traded runs, with Arkansas getting 6-0 and 10-0 spurts and South Carolina putting up 5-0 and 10-0 stretches.
Still, South Carolina struggled to overcome sloppy play, turning the ball over nine time and missing 11 of 12 3-point attempts to trail 43-39 at the break.
USC’s 3-point shooting improved in the second half, but Arkansas stayed hot as well, going up 11 at one point.
“They did a really good job just getting their feet set and shooting. They shot lights out from 3, and that’s what they do best,” Harris said.
Herbert Harrigan responded by sparking an 8-0 run, and with four seconds left in the third quarter, Harris sprinted over halfcourt and banked in a 3 of her own to put USC up 74-73, seemingly giving the Gamecocks badly needed momentum. But Arkansas wasn’t shaken.
“We regrouped pretty fast” Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors said. “ ... When we got ready to get on that plane and come down here, if I had told (the players) we were going into the fourth quarter against a top-15 team down one, would you take it? They would be like, yeah.”
Arkansas scored four unanswered points to start the fourth quarter, then extended its lead to 84-78. A 3-pointer from Herbert Harrigan narrowed that gap before the final media timeout, but Arkansas sank yet another 3 with 3:35 left to play, and Carolina finished shooting 2-for-11 from the field, never getting closer than four points.
“Luckily this wasn’t the end of it, and we get to play in the NCAA (tournament),” Harris said. “We’re just gonna try to bounce back and keep moving forward.”
Box score
ARKANSAS (19-13) | Williams 3-6 2-4 8, Dungee 8-17 13-13 31, Mason 5-9 0-0 14, Monk 5-13 5-7 16, Tolefree 5-10 4-4 18, Stout 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas 0-1 1-2 1, Doumbia 0-0 0-0 0, Gaulden 2-6 1-2 5, Northcross-Baker 1-1 0-0 2, Spangler 0-0 0-0 0, Zimmerman 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 29-64 26-32 95.
SOUTH CAROLINA (21-9) | Jennings 5-10 6-9 16, Cliney 0-4 0-0 0, Cuevas-Moore 3-7 2-2 10, Harris 9-17 4-4 24, Jackson 3-4 0-0 7, Grissett 0-1 0-0 0, Herbert Harrigan 9-16 7-8 27, Cooper 1-4 0-1 2, Henderson 1-4 1-2 3, Perry 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 31-68 20-26 89.
Halftime: Arkansas 43, South Carolina 39. 3-Point Goals: Arkansas 11-22 (Dungee 2-3, Mason 4-6, Monk 1-2, Tolefree 4-9, Gaulden 0-1, Zimmerman 0-1), South Carolina 7-25 (Cliney 0-1, Cuevas-Moore 2-6, Harris 2-7, Jackson 1-2, Herbert Harrigan 2-3, Cooper 0-3, Henderson 0-3). Assists: Arkansas 11 (Monk 6), South Carolina 10 (Harris 6). Fouled Out: Arkansas, Thomas, South Carolina, Harris, Grissett. Rebounds: Arkansas 34 (Williams 10), South Carolina 39 (Cliney 9). Total Fouls: Arkansas 21, South Carolina 21. Technical Fouls: None.
SEC TOURNAMENT SCORES, SCHEDULE
Friday, March 8 — Quarterfinals
No. 1 Mississippi State 83, No. 8 Tennessee 68
No. 5 Missouri 70, No. 4 Kentucky 68 (OT)
No. 10 Arkansas 95, No. 2 South Carolina 89
No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 6 Auburn, 8:30 p.m., SEC Network
Saturday, March 9 — Semifinals
No. 1 Mississippi State vs. No. 5 Missouri, 5 p.m., ESPNU
No. 10 Arkansas vs. Auburn-Texas A&M winner, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU
Sunday, March 10 — Finals
Championship game, 2 p.m., ESPN2
This story was originally published March 8, 2019 at 8:09 PM with the headline "SEC shocker: Gamecocks upset by Arkansas to end tournament title streak."
