No. 1 South Carolina wins 7th SEC tourney in past 9 seasons

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Zia Cooke scored 24 points and Aliyah Boston added 18 as No. 1 South Carolina pulled away in the final two quarters to beat Tennessee 74-58 for the SEC championship on Sunday.

The Gamecocks (32-0) won their seventh league tournament title in the past nine seasons and head to the NCAA Tournament as clear-cut favorites for a second straight national crown.

When it was over, South Carolina players came out to hug each other as the large group of fans — the arena is about 90 minutes away from the Gamecocks' campus — cheered the latest success.

Boston was named the tournament MVP. She said it's been a total team effort to get this, from the most experienced starter to the freshmen who don't see the court as much. «Everyone is buying into the process,» Boston said.

Not that it came easily. Third-seeded Tennessee (23-11), sky high after taking down No. 4 LSU on Saturday night in the semifinals, trailed 39-36 after Rickea Jackson's 3-pointer early in the second quarter.

The Gamecocks, the SEC regular-season champs, answered with a 16-4 burst powered by Boston and Cooke to open this one up and win their 38th straight dating back to last season's NCAA Tournament run.

Tennessee was playing in its first SEC final since 2015 and figured to be physically and emotionally exhausted after rallying from 17 points down to stun the Tigers.

Instead, the Lady Vols went toe-to-toe with the SEC's reigning powerhouse in South Carolina.

Boston made her first five shots of the opening quarter, yet Tennessee answered every one including a basket by a falling Horston to keep things tight at 21-19 after the first 10 minutes.

When South Carolina scored 12 straight points to lead 33-21, Horston had three more baskets and Sara Puckett