South Carolina edges LSU 83-77 in SEC semifinal

GREENVILLE, S.C. – South Carolina senior guard Raven Johnson paced the third-ranked Gamecocks with 22 points, lifting the top overall seed to an 83-77 win in the 2026 SEC Tournament semifinal contest inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Saturday.

With the victory, South Carolina improved to 31-2 on the season and advanced to the SEC Tournament championship game, while LSU dropped to 27-5 overall.

LSU will await its NCAA Tournament decision on March 15 when Selection Sunday rolls around next week. The show will air on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT. In the last projection, LSU was ranked No. 7 overall (No. 2 seed).

LSU junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley led the Tigers’ scoring attack with 24 points. Junior Mikaylah Williams and sophomore Jada Richard also had double figures in scoring with 14 and 17, respectively.

LSU and South Carolina got to the first media timeout of the game tied at 12-12. The Gamecocks would lead the close of the quarter, 21-17. Five Tigers contributed to the scoring for LSU with senior Flau’jae Johnson leading the way, scoring six in the opening stanza. On the other side, guards Ta’Niya Latson (10) and Raven (7) led USC with 17 combined points of their 21 total.

By the second quarter media timeout, LSU outscored the Gamecocks, 12-5, putting the Tigers ahead by three with four-plus minutes remaining in the half. South Carolina responded in the back portion of the quarter, taking a 34-31 lead with under two minutes left. Down the stretch, LSU closed the first half with a 9-2 scoring run that was punctuated by senior Amiya Joyner’s layup at the buzzer.

Fulwiley was the Tigers’ leading scorer in the half, scoring 15 points with one steal. LSU was able to outrebound the Gamecocks by nine in the first 20 minutes.

South Carolina opened the second half on a 10-2 run to take the lead and push it to four points with five minutes left in the quarter. The Tigers took a brief 42-41 lead midway through, but the Gamecocks were able to respond by outscoring LSU 18-12 in the last five minutes of the period. South Carolina took the 59-54 advantage into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Fulwiley tied the game at 63 on a made three-pointer. From there, USC took the lead and would not relinquish it, winning 83-77.

**LSU Press Release