COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tessa Johnson scored 16 points, and No. 6 South Carolina claimed a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship with a 78-66 victory over No. 15 Kentucky on Sunday.

No. 1 Texas defeated Florida 72-46 on Sunday, so the Longhorns and Gamecocks both finished 15-1 in conference play. They split the season series, but South Carolina won a coin flip and will be the No. 1 seed for this week’s SEC tournament in Greenville.

Te-Hina Paopao added 13 points and Chloe Kitts had 12 points and 10 rebounds for South Carolina (27-3), which has won at least a share of the regular-season title for the past four seasons.

Clara Strack scored 23 points and Georgia Amoore had 16 points for Kentucky (22-6, 11-5), which failed to build on the momentum of its 82-58 home win over No. 11 Tennessee on Thursday night.

South Carolina led 41-33 at halftime, but Kentucky closed to 63-62 with seven minutes left on a driving layup by Amoore. The Wildcats had a chance to take the lead on their next possession, but Milaysia Fulwiley blocked Teonni Key’s shot under the basket and drove the length of the floor for a layup, igniting an 12-2 run.

The Gamecocks outscored the Wildcats 13-2 in the final six minutes.

Takeaways

Kentucky: Struggled from deep, converting just 6 of 23 from beyond the arc.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks outrebounded the Wildcats 44-28.

Key moment

Leading by three, Paopao knocked down a huge 3 for the Gamecocks with five minutes to play.

Up Next

This is the first time UK has earned a double bye since 2020. UK has played in the quarterfinal game in 14 of the last 15 seasons. The Cats have 44-44 (.500) record in the league tournament. For the first time, the SEC  Tournament will feature a 16-team format.

Kentucky plays its first tournament game Friday, March 7 at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN.