No. 2 South Carolina wins 55th straight SEC game with 70-63 victory over No. 18 Tennessee

No. 2 South Carolina shook off early defensive intensity from No. 18 Tennessee and asserted itself for a 70-63 victory in Knoxville on Monday night.

The Gamecocks have won 55 consecutive games in SEC play.

The Lady Vols gave the Gamecocks problems in the opening quarter by pressuring the ball. That made it difficult for the Gamecocks to get the ball in the post and utilize their size advantage near the basket. With less than three minutes remaining in the first quarter, Tennessee had a 14-5 lead.

However, the reigning national champions took control from there, going on an 8-0 run to end the opening frame. Midway through the second quarter, South Carolina added a 14-0 run to put the Lady Vols at a distance and go into halftime with a 35-26 advantage.

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley wore a T-shirt supporting the Philadelphia Eagles during the game, and much like the Eagles did to the Washington Commanders in Sunday's NFC championship game, South Carolina leaned hard on Tennessee and opened up an 18-point margin during the third quarter, led by MiLaysia Fulwiley, Joyce Edwards and Raven Johnson nailing 3-pointers.

Edwards scored 18 points with five rebounds, while Fulwiley added 11 points. Chloe Kitts, Te-Hina Paopao and Johnson each scored 10 for the Gamecocks, who improved to 20-1 overall and 8-0 in the SEC.

South Carolina built a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter before Tennessee outscored the Gamecocks 24-8 over the final eight minutes of the game. Jewel Spear hit a 3 to cut the deficit to 69-63 with 16 seconds remaining, but could only get one more shot.

Despite Spear's make, Tennessee was cold from 3-point range, shooting just 3-for-26 from behind the arc. Talaysia Cooper shot 1-of-7 on 3s, while Samara Spencer went 1-for-6. Ruby Whitehorn led the Lady Vols with 12 points, but also committed six turnovers. Cooper finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, followed by Spencer's eight points and six assists. Zee Spearman grabbed nine rebounds.

Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell was coaching her first game since giving birth to her son Conor last Monday. She didn't pass off any head coaching responsibilities to assistant Jenna Burdette, who coached the Lady Vols in last Thursday's matchup with No. 5 Texas. Caldwell stood and walked the sideline throughout the game to guide her team.

Since beginning the season 13-0, Tennessee has gone 2-5 in SEC play, with three of those defeats coming against top-10 opponents. The Lady Vols are off until Sunday when they visit Missouri (11-10). No word yet as to whether Caldwell will coach the team on the road.

South Carolina will also next play Sunday, hosting Auburn (11-10) for a 12 ET matinee.