No. 2 South Carolina's 57-game SEC winning streak came to an end Sunday afternoon with a 66-62 loss to No. 4 Texas in Austin.
The Gamecocks never led in the game, though they tied the score at 10-10 seven minutes into the first quarter. The Longhorns created some distance with a 10-2 run to begin the second quarter, opening up a double-digit margin and taking a 36-27 lead into halftime.
A 22-point third quarter from the reigning national championships tied the score at 49-49 after three quarters. But Texas still kept South Carolina from going on top, never opening a margin larger than six points.
The Gamecocks closed to within 64-62 on a Bree Hall free throw with 50 seconds remaining in regulation, but Tessa Johnson missed a jump shot with 19 seconds left. Rori Harmon made two free throws for Texas with 11 seconds remaining to make it a two-possession and essentially clinch the win.
MADISON BOOKER 🤘#HookEm | @MaddiewitdaB_ pic.twitter.com/snSuJ8RtDv
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) February 9, 2025
Madison Booker scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Longhorns, bouncing back nicely from only tallying seven points in the first matchup with South Carolina. She added 11 rebounds with three assists and two steals. Kyla Oldacre followed with 13 points and six rebounds, while Taylor Jones scored 11 points with six rebounds and four steals.
South Carolina shot only 36% from the floor in the opening 20 minutes with Texas showing a much stronger defensive effort than when these teams first played on Jan. 12. That continued in the second half as the Gamecocks finished the game at 37% from the floor and 26% on 3-pointers.
MiLaysia Fulwiley was the only player to score in double figures for the Gamecocks with 13 points. Chloe Kitts and Joyce Edwards each added nine points for South Carolina, which dropped to 22-2 on the season and 10-1 in the SEC.
The Gamecocks last lost an SEC game on Dec. 30, 2021, the then-No. 1 team in the nation falling 70-69 in overtime at Missouri.
"The law of averages say at some point somebody is gonna get you," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said afterward. "I'm glad [Texas] didn't get us where we can't survive. We can still control our own destiny."
With the win, Texas improved to 24-2 and tied South Carolina for the conference lead at 10-1. No. 6 LSU joined them in a three-way tie with an 82-77 win over No. 19 Tennessee on Sunday.
The Gamecocks and Longhorns split their season series, with South Carolina beating Texas, 67-50, four weeks ago in Columbia.
South Carolina next takes the court at home versus Florida (12-12, 3-7) on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. Texas travels to No. 11 Kentucky (19-2, 8-1) also playing at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday.
