No. 4 Texas rolls past No. 3 South Carolina for first women's SEC title

Madison Booker scored 18 points, Justice Carlton had 13 of her 15 in a dominant first quarter, and No. 4 Texas never trailed in defeating No. 3 South Carolina 78-61 to win the SEC women's championship Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina.

Carlton, who entered the game averaging 8.5 points, made 6 of 7 field-goal attempts, including her only 3-pointer, as the third-seeded Longhorns (31-3) raced to a 27-12 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. She only took one more shot after the first quarter before fouling out.

Jordan Lee added 12 points for Texas, which won its eighth straight game and for the 13th time in 14 games since a 68-65 loss at South Carolina on Jan. 15.

Joyce Edwards scored 13 points and Maddy McDaniel had 10 to lead the top-seeded Gamecocks (31-3), who had won their last 12 games but had lost to the Longhorns 66-64 in the title game of the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas on Nov. 27.

Edwards made a jumper to start the second-half scoring and pull the Gamecocks within 15 points. They got within 15 on two more occasions before the Longhorns increased the lead to as many as 19.

South Carolina scored the final six points to creep within 57-44 at the end of the third quarter.

Edwards scored five points to help the Gamecocks get within 11 points, but Lee's 3-pointer gave Texas a 68-54 lead with 4:53 remaining.

Carlton scored six points, Booker added four and two teammates had one field goal apiece as Texas scored the first 14 points of the game. Tessa Johnson made a 3-pointer for South Carolina's first points 3 1/2 minutes into the game, and the Gamecocks got within 11 points a second time before the Longhorns went on another spurt.

Carlton had a jumper and a 3-pointer to help Texas expand the lead to 16, and her layup left the Longhorns with a 27-12 lead at the end of the quarter.

The Gamecocks got within nine points twice in the second quarter before Aaliyah Crump and Lee each had a 3-pointer during a 10-0 run that gave the Longhorns a 41-22 lead on their way to a 45-28 halftime edge.