No. 9 Kentucky loses to No. 1 South Carolina in 2026 SEC WBB Quarterfinals

COLUMBIA, S.C. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — The No. 9 seed Kentucky Wildcats fell to the No. 1 seed South Carolina Gamecocks 87864 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Kentucky scored the first three points of the game, but South Carolina went on a 13-5 run over the next 4:38 to take a 13-8 lead at the first media timeout at the 3:58 mark. The run was highlighted by three Kentucky turnovers.

The lead remained around the same throughout the rest of the first quarter, as the Gamecocks led 22–16 after one. Raven Johnson and Joyce Edwards each had seven points for South Carolina in the opening quarter, while Clara Strack and Asia Boone led Kentucky with four points apiece.

The Gamecocks turned up their intensity to start the second quarter, going on a 7-0 run over the first 2:30 to extend their lead to 29-16 and force a Kentucky timeout.

Kentucky cut the deficit to eight at 29-21 before South Carolina responded with an 11-0 run to push its lead to 19 at 40-21.

The Gamecocks led 44-27 at halftime behind 12 first-half points from Tessa Johnson. South Carolina doubled up Kentucky in the second quarter, outscoring the Wildcats 22-11.

Kentucky was led in first-half scoring by Clara Strack and Amelia Hassett, who each had six points.

The Wildcats finished the first half with 10 turnovers and were minus-7 in turnover margin.

South Carolina started the second half on fire, scoring on six of its first seven possessions to extend the lead to 24 at 57-33 and force a Kentucky timeout at the 6:22 mark of the third quarter.

The Gamecocks kept their lead above 20 for the remainder of the quarter and led 68-45 entering the fourth.

South Carolina did not allow Kentucky to mount a comeback on Friday like the Wildcats did in their meeting last Sunday at Historic Memorial Coliseum, winning this matchup by 23 points.

Amelia Hassett was a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range and led Kentucky with 15 points. She also grabbed five rebounds.

Clara Strack finished with 11 points and five rebounds in the loss, while Teonni Key added 13 points and eight rebounds.

South Carolina received a dominant performance from Joyce Edwards, who scored a game-high 21 points and added four rebounds.

Madina Okot recorded a double-double for the Gamecocks with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

South Carolina advances to the 2026 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament semifinals, where it will face the winner of the No. 4 seed LSU vs. No. 5 seed Oklahoma matchup.

Kentucky’s regular season is now complete. The Wildcats will await their NCAA Tournament fate to see if they will host the first and second rounds. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will take place in nine days on Sunday, March 15.