South Carolina gave fans an unforgettable ending with their 74-73 win over Tennessee in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament on Saturday.
It looked like the No. 1 Gamecocks were headed for their first loss of the season, until 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso banked a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for a 74-73 win.
The kicker: it was the first made three of her career. The SEC Defensive Player of the Year hadn’t even attempted a shot from beyond arc since the 2020-21 season, during a game against Syracuse. Saturday marked the senior’s 114th appearance since then.
That’s why the No. 5 Tennessee Vols left her wide open when they had a 73-71 lead with 1.1 seconds on the clock, but the Brazilian center proved that every Gamecock is a threat with the ball.
The mind-blowing finish sent Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper down to the hardwood, devastated. She’d coached a commendable effort against the Gamecocks, aiming for her first win over them after two other strong attempts this season.
The Gamecocks opened the game on a 13-0 scoring run, and Tennessee had just mounted an impressive comeback from a 23-point deficit before the stunning end.
It was star senior forward Rickea Jackson’s offensive rebound and fadeaway shot that put the Vols in the lead with 24 seconds to play. She recorded 22 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the heroic performance, which was spoiled in the final second.
After the win, legendary South Carolina coach Dawn Staley discussed the process of drawing up the final play with no timeouts. Before the Gamecocks inbounded the ball, she directed Cardoso to move up to the foul line and pass to guard Te-Hina Paopao in the corner. But right before the ball was in play, she told changed her mind and cleared Cardoso to shoot it.
Now, South Carolina is headed for the SEC championship game on Sunday having won 32 consecutive conference games.
This story will be updated.
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