No. 3 Texas A&M defeats No. 5 South Carolina to win SEC regular-season title
No. 3 Texas A&M won the SEC regular-season title defeating No. 5 South Carolina.Final: No. 3 Texas A&M 65, No. 5 South Carolina 57
The battle for the SEC regular-season championship lived up to expectations as No. 3 Texas A&M won a tightly contested game against No. 5 South Carolina, 65-57.
The Aggies secured the conference title moving to 13-1 in SEC play behind a strong defense that held the Gamecocks shooting to 32.4% from the field and 22.7% from three. Texas A&M supported their defensive play with a balanced scoring attack as four starters scored double figures. Guard Aaliyah Wilson led all scorers with 17 points, while forward N'Dea Jones scored 16 points with 14 rebounds in her 14th double-double this season. Jordan Nixon and Kayla Wells added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
South Carolina finished 14-2 in SEC play with the loss.
The Gamecocks' Destanni Henderson and Zia Cooke led South Carolina with 15 points each, while Aliyah Boston added 11 with 11 rebounds. Both teams will head to the SEC tournament next as each looks to boost their resume and secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
South Carolina cuts lead to single digits
Texas A&M 54, South Carolina 42 | End of Q3
Texas A&M goes on 17-3 run powered by zone defense
Momentum 😘
— Texas A&M Women's Basketball (@AggieWBB) February 28, 2021
ESPN2 | https://t.co/mhNlQwdPkU pic.twitter.com/scJrCs0FYM
Texas A&M 42, South Carolina 34 | 4:29 Q3
Halftime: No. 3 Texas A&M 35, No. 5 South Carolina 34
In a back-and-forth contest, No. 3 Texas A&M takes a 35-34 lead into halftime against No. 5 South Carolina. The Aggies's increased their lead to nine points in the first half before the Gamecocks scored 10 straight points to take the lead. Both sides made at least 44 percent of their shots in the first half.
South Carolina's Destanni Henderson leads all scorers with 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Texas A&M has two players in double-figures, led by Aaliyah Wilson and N'dea Jones with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
N'Dea Jones becomes all-time leading rebounder
Early on in the 2nd quarter, Texas A&M F N'Dea Jones became the school's all-time leading rebounder. Texas A&M leads 26-21 with 4:50 remaining in the first half.
Texas A&M 17, South Carolina 14 | End of Q1
After Aaliyah Wilson's shot at the buzzer, Texas A&M has a three point lead entering the 2nd quarter. Aggies F N'dea Jones leads all scorers with eight points.
AT THE BUZZER 🚨
— Texas A&M Women's Basketball (@AggieWBB) February 28, 2021
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No. 5 South Carolina at No. 3 Texas A&M has tipped off
Sunday's matchup between No. 5 South Carolina at No. 3 Texas A&M is underway and Texas A&M won the tip.
Get ready for Sunday's showdown between No. 5 South Carolina and No. 3 Texas A&M
One of the biggest regular season matchups of the 2020-21 women's basketball campaign tips off Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET: No. 5 South Carolina at No. 3 Texas A&M on ESPN2. The first-place Gamecocks (19-3, 14-1 SEC) will battle their conference foe Aggies (21-1, 12-1 SEC) for the SEC regular-season title.
Follow along as we provide updates about one of the biggest games of the season.
South Carolina vs. Texas A&M: Game preview
After a surprise loss to LSU in January, No. 5 Texas A&M (21-1, 12-1 SEC) has won nine straight games, most recently defeating Alabama 73-67 on the road. The Aggies will next host No. 5 South Carolina Gamecocks (19-3, 14-1 SEC) in each team's regular-season finale. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 28 on ESPN2.
Through Feb. 26, South Carolina is atop the SEC standings with Texas A&M sitting in second place. Both teams have one conference loss — meaning the regular-season title is up for grabs Sunday afternoon. A win Sunday also boosts the winner's chances of securing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
The Gamecocks have the conference's best scoring defense, anchored by 2021 Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist Aliyah Boston. Texas A&M will look to counter with an offense featuring numerous double-digit scorers in Aaliyah Wilson, N'dea Jones, Ciera Johnson, and Kayla Wells.
No. 5 South Carolina vs. No. 3 Texas A&M: Date, time, how to watch
Two of the top five teams in the country — both hailing from the SEC — will face off Sunday. No. 5 South Carolina (19-3, 14-1 SEC) will visit No. 3 Texas A&M (21-1, 12-1 SEC) for a 2 p.m. ET tip-off in College Station, Texas on Sunday, Feb. 28. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Date: Sunday, Feb. 28
Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV channel: ESPN2
South Carolina vs. Texas A&M stat leaders
| South Carolina | Team | Texas A&M |
|---|---|---|
| 19-3 (14-1) | Record (SEC) | 21-1 (12-1) |
| No. 5 | Rank | No. 3 |
| 78.7 | PPG | 75.9 |
| 59.1 | Points allowed | 60.4 |
| Zia Cooke 16.0 |
Scoring leader | Aaliyah Wilson 13.0 |
| Aliyah Boston 11.7 |
Rebounding leader | N'dea Jones 10.4 |
| Destanni Henderson 5.3 |
Assist leader | Jordan Nixon 3.2 |
| W, Ole Miss, 68-43 | Previous game | W, at Alabama, 73-67 |