GREENVILLE, S.C. — Kamilla Cardoso banked in her first-ever 3-pointer at the buzzer and rescued No. 1 South Carolina's perfect season with a 74-73 victory over Tennessee at the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals on Saturday.
The Gamecocks (31-0) had blown a 23-point lead and trailed the Lady Vols (19-12) 73-71 with 1.1 seconds left. But Raven Johnson's pass found an open Cardoso at the top of the key, and the team's leading scorer and rebounder banked it home.
Cardoso was mobbed by her joyous teammates as the large South Carolina crowd — the campus is only about a 100-mile drive from the Greenville arena — cheered in celebration.
The Gamecocks advance to their ninth tournament final in the past 10 seasons and will look for their eighth title in that span against either No. 8 LSU or Mississippi.
Rickea Jackson ended with 22 points, 19 in the final two quarters, as Tennessee fought back from 35-12 down late in the second quarter. Her putback with 25 seconds left gave the Lady Vols their first lead of the game.
After Johnson missed a 3-pointer with 6 seconds left, Jasmine Powell got the rebound and was fouled. She missed both free throws, and with no timeouts left, South Carolina went up the floor.
Tennessee, which wasn't in the free throw bonus yet, fouled South Carolina near midcourt with 1.1 seconds left, setting up the fantastic finish.
Jewell Spear added 21 points for the Lady Vols.
Things could not have started any better for South Carolina — or any worse for the Lady Vols.
The Gamecocks opened up a 13-0 lead while Tennessee struggled to hit anything, missing its first 10 shots. South Carolina, behind the dynamic Fulwiley, eventually led 35-12 and looked like it would put things away by halftime.
But the Lady Vols finished the second quarter on an 11-1 run to cut the 23-point deficit to 36-23 at the break.
THE BIG PICTURE
Tennessee: Heartbreak time for the Lady Vols, who had given South Carolina everything it had in three meetings all season yet lost them all. Tennessee needs the extra time off simply to get past this disappointing result.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks had not overcome a challenge like this all season, and it proved fruitful as they get closer to their championship goals.
UP NEXT
South Carolina will play for its eighth SEC Tournament title since 2015 on Sunday.