The South Carolina women opened SEC Tournament play on Friday as the event’s No. 2 seed and the winners of four straight championships. While Mississippi State has been the team to beat in conference this season, the Gamecocks were expected to at least challenge the Bulldogs for the crown in their drive for five titles.
Instead, South Carolina lost its first SEC Tournament game in years in shocking fashion, falling 95-89 to the 10th-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks in the quarterfinal round.
Earlier in the season, USC had beaten Arkansas 87-79. This time around, the Gamecocks struggled to contain Razorbacks guard Chelsea Dungee, who put up 31 points, and the rest of the Arkansas offense, which was on fire from 3-point range (11 of 22).