Technically, the Southeastern Conference Tournament is not post-season play. However, the regular season is over and seedings were based on the results--so I'm including it here.
The Gamecocks opened the SEC tournament against #12 seed Ole Miss, a team they had beaten by 5 points, in overtime, on the Rebels' home court in January. This game was not so tight; after the opening minutes, when Ole Miss scored the first 4 points, the Gamecocks took control of the game and picked up a 62-50 win.
Three Gamecocks fell just short of double-doubles: Ieasisa Walker (15 points, 9 rebounds), junior guard Markesia Grant (13 points, 9 rebounds) and Jewel May (8 points, 9 rebounds). The victory advanced USC to the second round of the conference tournament for a third meeting with the #4 seed Georgia Bulldogs. The two teams split during the regular season, each team winning at home.
However, the third time was NOT the charm. The Gamecocks struggled to score early and the Bulldogs dominated on the boards to take a 33-19 halftime lead. After the break, little changed and Georgia pounded the Gamecocks 66-34, leaving South Carolina with 10 days to speculate about their prospects for post-season tournament play.
When March 14 rolled around, it was no surprise that the Gamecocks were left out of the NCAA tournament field, thanks to their late-season collapse against SEC teams of similar ability and subsequent lackluster performance in bowing out of the SEC tournament, as well. They did, however, receive a bid to the Women's National Invitational Tournament and a chance to host a first-round game against Appalachian State University.
Against the Mountaineers, the Gamecocks started slowly--but kept pace thanks to the efforts of players off the bench, who accounted for 39 of the points for the game. Holding only a 4-point lead at the half, USC responded to each Mountaineer surge with defensive energy that led to scoring opportunities. The 67-54 victory earned the Gamecocks another chance to host in the second round, where they met the Atlantic-10's 3rd place finisher (in a 5-way tie of 9-5 teams) the Charlotte 49ers, 27-10.
The Gamecocks played hard, all game long against the 49ers, but to no avail. The 49er team pretty much dominated the USC team, taking a 32-24 advantage in to halftime and extending their lead to 19 points with 8 minutes left in the game. While the Gamecocks were able to cut into the lead, they never seriously challenged Charlotte for the win and fell 57-69 to end the season.
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