A rivalry defined by excellence met its latest crescendo at the SEC Tournament semifinal — and once again, the Gamecocks had the last word.
For the 19th consecutive time, South Carolina defeated LSU, pulling away Saturday for an 83-77 victory that was simultaneously a testament to the Gamecocks’ championship pedigree and a warning sign about their vulnerabilities heading into the tournament’s final rounds.
The Fulwiley-Johnson Duel Nobody Asked to Pick a Side On
The game’s emotional heart was the duel between former teammates MiLaysia Fulwiley and Raven Johnson — two players who once celebrated together now locked in competitive combat on opposite benches. Their familiarity with each other made the matchup sharper, not duller.
Fulwiley scored 24 points, matching exactly what she produced in the 2024 SEC Tournament championship game when she led South Carolina over this same LSU program. The symmetry is striking: Fulwiley has now twice delivered 24-point performances against the Tigers in high-stakes tournament settings, though this time wearing different colors. Her ability to create her own shot off the dribble and find space behind the arc remained elite — including the three-pointer that momentarily tied the game at 63, giving LSU life in the fourth quarter when it seemed South Carolina might be pulling away.
But Raven Johnson answered every challenge. Johnson scored a career-high 22 points to go along with eight assists and three rebounds, and tied her career-high with four three-pointers. Her stat line reads like a point guard operating at full command — creating for others, hitting shots herself, and making consequential plays late.
The game was ultimately decided by a two-play sequence that crystallized what separates these programs. Johnson hit Madina Okot on a pick and roll for a layup to put South Carolina up 79-72 with 1:31 left. Fulwiley, racing the other way, then threw the ball away — ending LSU’s last real chance.
Two plays. Two outcomes that said everything. Johnson executed under pressure; Fulwiley, despite a brilliant individual performance, came up short in the decisive moment.
South Carolina’s Familiar Problem — And Familiar Answer
LSU led 40-36 at halftime, just the second time this season South Carolina has trailed at the break. That statistic is worth pausing on. The Gamecocks are so dominant that trailing at halftime qualifies as a statistical anomaly — and yet it happened here, against a Tigers team that clearly came prepared to disrupt South Carolina’s offensive rhythm.
What LSU couldn’t prepare for was the Gamecocks’ third-quarter identity. Joyce Edwards scored the first five points of the second half to put South Carolina back in front, and the Gamecocks proceeded to outscore LSU 10-2 over the first five minutes of the half. That run wasn’t fluky — it was a function of superior conditioning, depth, and coaching adjustments that Dawn Staley consistently delivers between halves.
Johnson’s bucket over Fulwiley at the third-quarter buzzer — a moment dripping with symbolic weight — put South Carolina up 59-54. Maryam Dauda’s short jumper to open the fourth stretched the lead to seven, the largest to that point.
LSU Refused to Fold — Until It Did
Credit LSU for not accepting the momentum shift quietly. The Tigers answered with a 6-0 run to tighten things back up, and after Joyce Edwards made a pair of free throws, Fulwiley found a sliver of space behind the arc and tied the game at 63. That sequence — a full comeback erased, then the deficit erased again — illustrated exactly why this rivalry carries the weight it does. LSU has the firepower to beat almost anyone.
But South Carolina has something harder to quantify: composure. Edwards and Okot scored six straight points to break the tie for good, and when Johnson set up Okot on that critical pick-and-roll late, it was the kind of possession-by-possession execution that championships are built on.
What It Means Going Forward
South Carolina advances to the SEC Tournament final still unbeaten in conference play, but Saturday served as both a reminder of their ceiling and a stress test of their depth. LSU exposed something: when the Gamecocks trail and their primary creators are being contested, the supporting cast has to step up — and Edwards and Okot answered that call.
For LSU, the loss stings, but Fulwiley’s 24-point performance against her former team suggests the program’s future remains bright. The rivalry, now 19-0 in South Carolina’s favor, continues to produce some of the most compelling basketball in the women’s game.
Nineteen straight. And yet every single one feels like it had to be earned.
