Columbia, SC. – South Carolina turned a competitive first half into a historic rout Sunday, pulling away in the third quarter and defeating Tennessee 93–50 in the worst loss in Lady Vols program history.
The Gamecocks seized control immediately after halftime, a stretch that has defined much of their season.
“That’s when they go in at halftime, get re-energized, and refocus on the game plan,” Post and Courier beat reporter David Cloninger told Full Disclosure Productions earlier this week.
South Carolina backed that up on the floor, outscoring Tennessee 24–9 in the third quarter and breaking the game open.
The Gamecocks repeatedly beat Tennessee down the floor, opening the half with seven straight made layups and forcing an early Lady Vols timeout.
As the pressure mounted, South Carolina turned defense into offense. USC finished the quarter with eight fast-break points and 16 points in the paint, while Tennessee failed to score in either category.
The Lady Vols also struggled to protect the ball. South Carolina scored eight points off turnovers in the period, while Tennessee had none.
The third-quarter surge followed a familiar script for the Gamecocks. Earlier this season, South Carolina outscored Vanderbilt 27–12 in the third quarter of a similar runaway win.
“They came out there and blew their doors off in the third quarter and ended up coasting to a dominant win,” Cloninger said while describing that game.
Tennessee relied heavily on perimeter shooting during the decisive stretch. Talaysia Cooper hit two third-quarter three-pointers, but the deficit continued to grow.
The momentum carried into the fourth quarter. South Carolina opened the final period on a 12–0 run, pushing the lead past 40 and removing any remaining doubt.
The 43-point margin eclipsed Tennessee’s previous worst losses, including a 32-point defeat to Belmont in the 1970s and a 28-point SEC loss to Mississippi State.
Before the game, Cloninger said the matchup would come down to effort over 40 minutes.
Despite the result, Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell returned to that theme afterward.
“We have a lot of quit in our team,” Caldwell said to the ESPN broadcast prior to the game.
Tennessee returns home for a game against Missouri. Where former Lady Vols and head coach, Kellie Harper leads the Tigers.
