South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team clinches top seed in SEC tournament

COLUMBIA, S.C. — In front of a sold-out crowd of 18,000 with ESPN's College Gameday in town, the No. 1-ranked South Carolina women's basketball team clinched the top seed in the SEC tournament while Gamecocks junior forward Aliyah Boston made history.

South Carolina beat No. 12 Tennessee 67-53 at Colonial Life Arena on Sunday while Boston recorded her 19th consecutive double-double, tying a conference record.

The Gamecocks (25-1) haven't budged from the No. 1 spot in the rankings since the preseason. At 13-1 in the SEC, the team is guaranteed at least a share of the league regular-season championship and already has secured the No. 1 seed in the SEC tournament, which begins March 2 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

South Carolina will be going for its seventh SEC tournament title; the Gamecocks have won six of the past seven. They are projected as the No. 1 seed in the Greensboro Regional by ESPN Bracketology analyst Charlie Creme.

«When you're the hunted and you're getting everyone's best shot, it's hard,» South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. «I told our team that: We sometimes make it look easy. But that wasn't really a 14-point game; it felt a lot more tight than that. But you find a way. You have to attribute it to we have a core group of players who have been together for a very long time. We also take advantage of having depth.»

And the Gamecocks have Boston, the favorite for national player of the year. She had 16 points and 12 rebounds and now is tied with LSU great Sylvia Fowles for the league's double-double record. Boston will have a chance to break it Thursday as the Gamecocks travel to Texas A&M for their penultimate regular-season game.

«Sylvia Fowles is a dominant post player,» Boston said of