Tennessee’s stay at the Southeastern Conference Tournament has ended with a loss to South Carolina in the semifinals Saturday.
The third-seeded Lady Vols faced a deficit early and came up on the short end of a 67-52 decision against the No. 2 Gamecocks.
Tennessee (16-7) fell behind 29-13 in the first quarter.
The Lady Vols, who beat the Gamecocks (21-4), 75-67, at Thompson-Boling Arena on Feb. 18, overcame a sluggish first half to win that game in thrilling comeback fashion.
There would not be a rally in the SEC Tournament for Tennessee, as the Gamecocks held Rennia Davis and Rae Burrell to just nine points each and out-rebounded the Lady Vols 44-33.
UT also committed 18 turnovers in the contest.
Jordan Horston and Jordan Walker each had 11 points for Tennessee, which trailed 39-25 at halftime.
Zia Cooke scored 17 points to lead the Gamecocks. Aliyah Boston added 15 points and Destanni Henderson finished with 13.
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