{"id":196235,"date":"2026-03-09T02:03:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T02:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/196235\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T02:03:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T02:03:10","slug":"what-dawn-staley-said-after-sec-title-game-loss-to-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/196235\/","title":{"rendered":"What Dawn Staley said after SEC title game loss to Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"South<\/p>\n

South Carolina’s head coach Dawn Staley reacts as the SEC Tournament game against Texas comes to an end at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Sunday, March 8, 2026. Texas defeated South Carolina 78-61.<\/p>\n

Tracy Glantz<\/p>\n

tglantz@thestate.com<\/p>\n

Greenville<\/p>\n

For the first time since 2022, South Carolina isn\u2019t the SEC Tournament champion.<\/p>\n

The Gamecocks women\u2019s basketball team dropped Sunday\u2019s championship game 78-61 to Texas at Bon Secours Wellness Arena<\/a>, snapping a streak of three straight conference tournament titles.<\/p>\n

It was USC\u2019s first SEC Tournament loss since losing the 2022 championship game to Kentucky in Nashville. The Gamecocks were national champs that season.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what South Carolina coach Dawn Staley<\/a> said postgame Sunday:<\/p>\n

If she considered calling a timeout earlier in the first quarter<\/p>\n

(Texas built a 14-0 lead before Staley called timeout at the 6:47 mark.)<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. If I did, I would have called a timeout. Just let our players play through it a little bit. I don\u2019t usually do it. See if we could gather ourselves and make a play on both sides of the basketball. We couldn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"South South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards (8) reacts to a foul call during the second half of action of their women’s basketball game in the SEC Tournament, against Texas at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Sunday, March 8, 2026. Texas defeated South Carolina 78-61. Tracy Glantz tglantz@thestate.com On Texas\u2019 big start in first quarter<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they made plays. They forced us to play a certain way. Turning the ball over isn\u2019t something that you can start a game like Texas and give them a head start, give them a 12-point lead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just \u2014 it didn\u2019t feel right, just from a mental and physical standpoint. You can try to keep pushing through, but every time that we would try to make a run, we had just mental lapses, like uncharacteristic turnovers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of it was us, some of it was Texas. They took advantage of it every single time, no matter who caused it.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Texas shooting 54% from the field<\/p>\n

(Texas\u2019 54.0 FG% was the highest by a USC opponent this year.)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just didn\u2019t play well (defensively). I mean, they were moving pretty fast, and we weren\u2019t moving as quickly as they were.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you think about it, maybe there\u2019s a little fatigue. We\u2019ve had depth when we got to this point (in other seasons). We played our starters some heavy minutes (Saturday vs. LSU). So you\u2019ve got to look at that and maybe think that contributed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA little mental fatigue, physical fatigue. But when you\u2019re not hitting on all cylinders, like Texas, you\u2019re going to feel it in every category.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her message to the team postgame<\/p>\n

\u201cOur team knows we didn\u2019t play our best basketball. Not nearly what we\u2019re capable of doing. I told them that the last time we lost in this situation (in 2022), we won a national championship.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019ve got to think about that. It might be the very thing this team needs. It\u2019s not what I would think yesterday, coming in today. But now that we\u2019re here and it\u2019s a reality, you search for things that have a connection that can give your team what it needs to make this run for a national championship.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do think we have enough in the room to do that. We\u2019ll rest and recoup at the end of the week and start that journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"South South Carolina’s Alicia Tournebize (31) shoots as Texas\u2019s Jordan Lee (7) defends during the first half of action of their women’s basketball game in the SEC Tournament, against Texas at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Sunday, March 8, 2026. Tracy Glantz tglantz@thestate.com On freshman F Alicia Tournebize playing 19 minutes<\/p>\n

\u201cI told our team I thought we got stronger if we could get Ali to play the way she did<\/a>. She played inspired. Not playing yesterday (vs. LSU) makes her think about the things she needs to do to play. If she can give us that. … She\u2019s got seven rebounds on a great rebounding team like Texas. She held her own defensively. So it was pretty good and promising to know that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe needed scoring. We know Ali can score the basketball. I thought she did a pretty good job (six points on 3-5 shooting). I think we should probably have gotten her the ball a little bit more in the block and let her go to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we made a step forward in our journey to win a national championship. Somebody like her will add to the depth that we need to make this run.\u201d<\/p>\n

On a quiet game for G Ta\u2019Niya Latson (4 points)<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we were just playing an uphill battle. We had to run some offenses that would give us multiple looks. I mean, usually … we use her a little bit more than we used her (today)<\/a>. And we expended a lot of energy on defense, so it was hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd they made it difficult for wing entries. So when it\u2019s like that, it\u2019s a lot of dribble entries. … When it\u2019s like that, your offensive package shrinks (for wing players).\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was originally published March 8, 2026 at 5:49 PM.<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Chapel Fowler, the NSMA\u2019s 2024 South Carolina Sportswriter of the Year, has covered Clemson football and other topics for The State since summer 2022. His work\u2019s also been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the South Carolina Press Association and the North Carolina Press Association. He\u2019s a Denver, N.C., native, a UNC-Chapel Hill alum and a pickup basketball enthusiast.
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