In an intense back-and-forth battle, No. 14 South Carolina women’s basketball sprinted out to a authoritative early lead over rival Mississippi State, gave it all away in a poor third quarter, then stormed back to within two points in the last minute, only to lose, 68-64.
At one point, the Gamecocks (21-8, 13-3 SEC) led the Bulldogs (27-2, 15-1) by 10 points in the second quarter and had the large crowd at Colonial Life Arena at full volume, as No. 5 MSU and star player Teaira McCowan seemed on their heels and taken aback by USC’s intensity.
At halftime, however, the Gamecocks got some bad news — Kentucky had beaten Georgia, ensuring USC could not pass Mississippi State for the No.