No. 2 South Carolina tops No. 18 Tennessee: Score, highlights from women's basketball game

South Carolina and Tennessee are two of the preeminent programs in women’s college basketball.

The Lady Vols are one of the sport’s historic titans, with eight NCAA championships and some of the game’s most iconic figures. Under coach Dawn Staley, the Gamecocks are the modern-day juggernaut, with three titles in the past seven NCAA tournaments, including two of the last three.

In the latest meeting between the two sides, No. 2 South Carolina came out on top, riding a hot start to the second half and withstanding a late run to earn a 70-63 road victory against No. 18 Tennessee in a matchup of top-20 teams at the Food City Center in Knoxville, Tennessee Monday night.

The win improved the Gamecocks' record to 20-1, kept their undefeated mark in SEC play alive and extended their regular-season conference winnning streak to an astonishing 55 games. The Lady Vols fell to 15-5 and lost for the fifth time in their past seven games.

Tennessee got off to a hot start, leading 14-5 after a Ruby Whitehorn layup with 2:48 remaining in the first quarter. From there, what had been a cold-shooting South Carolina team heated up and responded forcefully, outscoring the Lady Vols 43-16 over the ensuing 16:46 to take a commanding 18-point lead with six minutes remaining in the third quarter. That spurt was punctuated by a 13-4 run to open the second half.

Tennessee had a late 12-2 run to get within six with 14 seconds left, but it ultimately wasn't enough to undo what had been a largely underwhelming 35 minutes that preceded it.

Freshman Joyce Edwards had a game-high 18 points for the Gamecocks, who picked up their 15th consecutive win following a Nov. 24 road loss against a UCLA team that's now No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. Four other South Carolina players finished in double figures, including Chloe Kitts, who had 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Whitehorn had a team-high 12 points for the Lady Vols, who had an uncharacteristically poor shooting night against a South Carolina team that possesses one of the sport's most stifling defenses. Tennessee shot 30.7% as a team and made just three of its 25 3-pointers (11.5%). The Lady Vols entered the contest averaging a Division I-best 11.5 made 3s per game. Leading scorer Talaysia Cooper embodied her team's struggles, missing 16 of her 21 shots and six of her seven 3s.

It was the first game back for first-year Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell, who had given birth to her first child, Conor, exactly one week earlier.

Here's a look at the score, updates, highlights, and more from South Carolina women’s basketball’s win at Tennessee:

REQUIRED READING: Kim Caldwell says she plans to coach Lady Vols against South Carolina, 7 days after having baby

South Carolina vs Tennessee women’s basketball score updates

South Carolina vs Tennessee women's basketball live updates

Final: South Carolina 70, Tennessee 63

South Carolina withstands the late charge from Tennessee and notches a 70-63 victory on the road against the Lady Vols. The Gamecocks move to 20-1 on the season and extend their SEC regular-season win streak to 55 games. Tennessee, meanwhile, falls to 15-5 and suffers its fifth loss in the past seven games.

Five South Carolina players finish in double figures, led by 18 points from Joyce Edwards.

Red-hot Tennessee within single digits

It's not quite over yet in Knoxville. A Ruby Whitehorn drive and layup gets the Lady Vols within nine, 69-60, with 1:12 left. Likely too little, too late for Tennessee, but it's had a ton of success getting to the basket and forcing South Carolina turnovers by using a full-court press. Gamecocks have looked uncomfortable for most of the fourth quarter.

Worth noting that Tennessee needs three more fouls to send South Carolina into the bonus.

Tennessee run gets Lady Vols within 14

South Carolina still has a comfortable lead, but it's a little less comfortable than it was a few minutes ago. Tennessee is on a 10-2 run, getting it within 14 with 5:58 remaining and has made four of its past five shots. Much of the Lady Vols' success this quarter has come from driving to the basket, with most of their points coming at the rim. The crowd at the Food City Center's getting into it, too.

Two of those points came on a layup from Tess Darby off a beautiful three-quarters court pass from Samara Spencer, who showed some excellent awareness after collecting a defensive rebound.

End of third quarter: South Carolina 57, Tennessee 39

Ruby Whitehorn unable to beat buzzer as South Carolina takes 18-point lead into fourth quarter

The Lady Vols are going to need every basket they can to get back into their game against South Carolina and just missed out on an opportunity for two points. Tennessee got out into transition after a defensive rebound and Whitehorn had an open path to the basket, but the ball rolled off her fingers after the buzzer had already sounded.

It'll be 57-39 South Carolina heading into the fourth quarter.

Tennessee down by 18 as shooting woes continue

After trailing by nine at halftime, the Lady Vols have fallen further behind South Carolina in the third quarter, with the Gamecocks now holding a 52-34 lead. One big shortcoming for Tennessee — outside shooting. In coach Kim Caldwell's 3-point-heavy offense, the Lady Vols have missed 18 of their 20s tonight.

South Carolina extends lead to open second half

The Gamecocks pick up right where they left off from the second quarter, scoring 10 of the first 12 points of the third quarter to extend their lead to 17, 45-28. Since falling behind 14-5 in the first quarter, South Carolina has outscored Tennessee by a 40-14 margin.

Chloe Kitts has been the catalyst so far this quarter, with six of her team's 10 points.

South Carolina-Tennessee halftime stats

Here's a look at some of the key stats at halftime, with South Carolina leading Tennessee 35-26:

• Field goal percentage: South Carolina 50%, Tennessee 24%

• 3-point percentage: South Carolina 43%, Tennessee 18%

• Turnovers: South Carolina 9, Tennessee 8

• Rebounds: Tennessee 23, South Carolina 21

• Offensive rebounds: Tennessee 8, South Carolina 2

• Second-chance points: South Carolina 2, Tennessee 2

• Bench points: South Carolina 23, Tennessee 1

• Fast-break points: South Carolina 14, Tennessee 4

• Points in the paint: South Carolina 20, Tennessee 12

Halftime: South Carolina 35, Tennessee 26

South Carolina takes nine-point lead into halftime

A dominant second quarter, one in which it outscored Tennessee 22-12, gives South Carolina a 35-26 halftime lead. Gamecocks forward Joyce Edwards leads all players with 11 points and five rebounds. Wild to think she's just a freshman, which Dawn Staley undoubtedly loves and no other coach in the SEC does.

It was a rough shooting quarter for the Lady Vols, who made just four of their 16 shots. South Carolina, conversely, went nine of 15.

Tennessee scoring drought leads to big South Carolina run

A Lady Vols team that took early control of the game spent much of the second quarter languishing offensively. A made free throw from Jillian Hollingshead snapped a scoreless drought of 4:36 for Tennessee. During that time, South Carolina scored 14 unanswered points, giving it an 11-point lead.

South Carolina takes first lead

The Gamecocks have not only dug out of their early hole entirely, but come out on the other end of it. MiLaysia Fulwiley is left wide open in the corner in front of the Tennessee bench twice in a handful of possessions and makes the Lady Vols pay on both occasions, draining 3-pointers that have keyed a 7-0 run.

South Carolina is out to a 24-20 lead with 4:46 remaining in the first half. The Lady Vols have missed their last four shots and haven't scored in 2:04.

End of first quarter: Tennessee 14, South Carolina 13

South Carolina run gets it within one

Just when the Gamecocks were starting to look disoriented, coach Dawn Staley's team responds. South Carolina fell behind by as may as nine, but it ends the first quarter with eight unanswered points. Four of those came from freshman Joyce Edwards, who has a game-high six points.

A sloppy first quarter on the whole, with both teams turning it over four times. Tennessee already has six offensive rebounds, but hasn't been able to take advantage, with no second-chance points. The Lady Vols made just five of their 22 shots in the opening 10 minutes. Will not being able to adequately capitalize on South Carolina's early woes come back to bite Kim Caldwell's squad?

Samara Spencer and-one pushes Tennessee lead to seven

Samara Spencer couldn't quite shake a South Carolina defender with a series of up-fakes, but she's able to draw contact and throw up an acrobatic shot that goes in. With the ensuing free throw, the Lady Vols are up 12-5 with five minutes left in the first quarter.

South Carolina off to slow start

The Gamecocks, riding a 54-game regular-season SEC win streak, have fallen behind early, trailing Tennessee 9-5 at the media timeout in the first quarter. They've made just two of their eight shots, though the Lady Vols haven't been that much better, making just three of their nine attempts.

Pregame

South Carolina vs Tennessee starters

Here are the starting lineups for both South Carolina and Tennessee, according to the StatBroadcast feed:

South Carolina

• G Te-Hina Paopao

• G Raven Johnson

• G Bree Hall

• F Chloe Kitts

• F Sania Feagin

Tennessee

• G Ruby Whitehorn

• G Samara Spencer

• G Talaysia Cooper

• F Zee Spearman

• F Alyssa Latham

Kim Caldwell returns to coach Tennessee

Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell is back on the sideline for the Lady Vols exactly one week after giving birth to her first child, Conor. She missed just one game, an 80-76 loss last Thursday at No. 7 Texas.

South Carolina vs Tennessee time today

• Date: Monday, Jan. 27

• Time: 7 p.m. ET

• Location: Food City Center (Knoxville, Tenn.)

What channel is South Carolina vs Tennessee women’s basketball on today?

• TV channel: ESPN2

• Streaming: ESPN App | Fubo (free trial)

• Radio: Sirius/XM Channel 106 or 190

South Carolina's women's basketball game against Tennessee will air on ESPN2 on Monday. Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Carolyn Peck (analyst) will be on the call. Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app and Fubo, the last of which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

South Carolina women’s basketball vs Tennessee history

• Series record: Tennessee leads 51-16

• South Carolina’s last win: 2024 (W, 74-73)

• Tennessee’s last win: 2021 (W, 75-67)

South Carolina vs Tennessee predictions

Here is how Lulu Kesin of The Greenville News predicts the game to play out:

Lulu Kesin, The Greenville News: South Carolina 95, Tennessee 83

The Lady Vols score at a high clip but the Gamecocks' discipline and defensive effort is too strong of a wall to break through.

Here is how Cora Hall of the Knoxville News-Sentinel believes the game will go:

Cora Hall, Knoxville News-Sentinel: South Carolina 79, Tennessee 72

The Lady Vols will be competitive, but they haven't shown yet that they can get across the finish line against great teams. Tennessee will give South Carolina a run for its money, but the Gamecocks' depth will be too much to overcome.

South Carolina vs Tennessee betting odds

Odds according to BetMGM.

• Spread: South Carolina (-11.5)

• Over/under: 156.5 points

• Moneyline: South Carolina, -700 | Tennessee, +500

South Carolina women’s basketball vs Tennessee injury updates

This section, which will be updated, is based on the SEC women's basketball availability report.

South Carolina

• F Ashlyn Watkins (out, torn ACL)

Tennessee

• G Kaiya Wynn (out, torn Achilles)

South Carolina women’s basketball schedule 2024-25

Here’s a look at the Gamecocks’ past five games and their upcoming matchup. To view their full 2024-25 schedule, click here.

• Thursday, Jan. 9: vs. Texas A&M (W, 90-49)

• Sunday, Jan. 12: vs. No. 6 Texas (W, 67-50)

• Thursday, Jan. 16: at No. 19 Alabama (W, 76-58)

• Sunday, Jan. 19: vs. No. 13 Oklahoma (W, 101-60)

• Friday, Jan. 24: vs. No. 4 LSU (W, 66-56)

• Monday, Jan. 27: at No. 17 Tennessee

Tennessee women’s basketball schedule 2024-25

Here’s a look at the Lady Vols’ past five games and their upcoming matchup. To view their full 2024-25 schedule, click here.

• Thursday, Jan. 9: vs. No. 4 LSU (L, 89-87)

• Sunday, Jan. 12: at Arkansas (W, 93-63)

• Thursday, Jan. 16: vs. Mississippi State (W, 86-73)

• Sunday, Jan. 19: at Vanderbilt (L, 71-70)

• Thursday, Jan. 23: at No. 7 Texas (L, 80-76)

• Monday, Jan. 27: vs. No. 2 South Carolina

South Carolina women’s basketball news

• How South Carolina's Raven Johnson did exactly what Dawn Staley needed to beat LSU, Kim Mulkey

• What Dawn Staley said about South Carolina's defense in win over LSU

• South Carolina women's basketball continues domination of LSU, takes showdown for 17th straight win in series

Tennessee women’s basketball news

• Tyler Summitt congratulates Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell on birth of her son, Conor

• Kim Caldwell says she plans to coach Lady Vols against South Carolina, 7 days after having baby

• Lady Vols played without Kim Caldwell, lost on the road, but drew praise from Texas coach

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: South Carolina beats Tennessee: Women's basketball score, highlights