Gamecocks Win 5th SEC Title in 6 Years

The Gamecocks defeated Mississippi State 76-62 in the SEC title game.

The South Carolina Gamecocks are back on top after defeating Mississippi State BLANK-Blank to win their fifth SEC title in six years.

Finals score @GamecockWBB 76 @HailStateWBK 62 pic.twitter.com/fFNoAtNiyB

— Chaunte'l Powell (@chauntelpowell) March 8, 2020

Jordan Danberry got to the basket immediately following the opening tip, but the Bulldogs would miss their next six shots and shoot 25 percent from the field in the opening period.

South Carolina meanwhile, pushed the tempo and scored 14 fastbreak points. The Gamecock bigs were able to get position deep in the post and guard Tyasha Harris made sure to find them. The Gamecocks scored 28 points in the paint in the first half, six of them coming from Brea Beal in the first quarter.

The block party continued for South Carolina as they logged six blocks as a team in the first half alone.

Things got chippy late in the second quarter as Aliyah Boston and Mississippi State’s Yemiyah Morris got tied up and there was some extra swinging from Morris after the jumpball was called. Mikihah Herbert Harrigan confronted her and both players were assessed a technical.

South Carolina went into the halftime break with a 38-22 lead.

The Gamecocks continued to throttle the Bulldogs in the third quarter without much of a fight from MSU.

One particular sequence featured a fast break with a pass from Herbert Harrigan to Zia Cooke and finally to a trailing Beal for a layup that got the Gamecock bench as well as the crowd on their feet.

.@GamecockWBB's ball movement 💯 pic.twitter.com/DSmIWJhWbY

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 8, 2020

Beal finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.  

Herbert Harrigan led the way with 15 points, while Cooke and Harris both recorded 10. Harris had the team's second double double recording 10 assists as well.