Dawn Staley is basically inevitable at this point. If you were looking for chaos in South Carolina during the first week of March, you probably should have looked somewhere other than the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The sec women's basketball tournament 2025 scores told a very specific story: a story of a program that doesn't just win; it suffocates.
When the final buzzer rang out on Sunday, March 9, the scoreboard read South Carolina 64, Texas 45. That’s a 19-point gap. In a championship game. Against the number one ranked team in the country. It was the largest margin of victory in any of the Gamecocks' nine title game wins, which is honestly terrifying when you think about the legendary teams Dawn Staley has fielded over the last decade. Texas entered that game on a 15-game winning streak and left looking like they’d just run into a brick wall made of Garnet and Black.
The Night the Newcomers Met the Gold Standard
The 2025 tournament was supposed to be the big "Welcome to the SEC" moment for Texas and Oklahoma. To be fair, they showed up. Texas rolled through the bracket until the very end, and Oklahoma managed to knock off Kentucky in a 69-65 nail-biter during the quarterfinals. But the sec women's basketball tournament 2025 scores showed that there’s still a massive gap between being a "top team" and being the Gamecocks.
South Carolina didn't just win the final; they dismantled a Longhorns offense that usually hums like a vintage engine. Madison Booker, an All-American who usually does whatever she wants on the court, was held to just 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting. The Gamecocks forced 18 turnovers and outscored Texas 40-18 in the paint. If you’re a basketball nerd, that paint stat is the whole game. You can’t win when the other team is living in your kitchen.
A Wednesday Warmup
The tournament kicked off on March 5 with the bottom seeds trying to keep their seasons alive. Honestly, Tennessee’s opener against Texas A&M was a bloodbath. The Lady Vols walked away with a 77-37 win. That 40-point margin set a tone. Georgia squeezed past Arkansas 79-74 in a game that was way closer than it probably should have been, thanks to a 38-point explosion from Arkansas’ Izzy Higginbottom.
- Tennessee 77, Texas A&M 37
- Georgia 79, Arkansas 74
- Mississippi State 75, Missouri 55
- Florida 60, Auburn 50
Mississippi State’s win over Missouri was a bit of a rollercoaster. Missouri actually had a 14-point lead in the third quarter. Then the Bulldogs decided they weren't ready to go home and outscored the Tigers 24-8 in that period. It's those kinds of swings that make March so exhausting to watch but impossible to turn off.
Thursday's Drama and the First Real Upset
By Thursday, the intensity ratcheted up. We saw Vanderbilt take down Tennessee 84-76 in an in-state rivalry match that actually felt like a heavyweight fight. Mikayla Blakes was a problem for the Lady Vols, dropping 24 points. But the real story of the second round was Florida.
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The Gators were the 11-seed. They weren't even on the NCAA Tournament bubble according to most experts. Yet, they went out and stunned 6-seed Alabama 63-61. It was the first "true" upset of the week and it felt like Greenville was finally starting to get weird.
- Vanderbilt 84, Tennessee 76
- Oklahoma 70, Georgia 52
- Ole Miss 85, Mississippi State 73
- Florida 63, Alabama 61
Why the Quarterfinal Scores Changed Everything
Friday is when the heavy hitters—the double-bye teams—finally stepped onto the floor. This is where the sec women's basketball tournament 2025 scores started to reflect the elite tier of the conference. South Carolina faced Vanderbilt and, well, Chloe Kitts happened.
Kitts was a woman possessed, putting up 25 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 12-of-14. It’s hard to lose when one of your forwards decides they literally aren't going to miss. The Gamecocks won 84-63, but the score actually felt closer than the game was.
The most "March" game of the day was Oklahoma vs. Kentucky. Kentucky was the 4-seed, led by Georgia Amoore, who poured in 29 points. It wasn't enough. The Sooners’ Raegan Beers dominated the glass with 20 points and 11 rebounds, leading Oklahoma to a 69-65 upset. It was a statement win for the SEC newcomers.
Friday's Full Slate
- South Carolina 84, Vanderbilt 63
- Oklahoma 69, Kentucky 65
- Texas 70, Ole Miss 63
- LSU 101, Florida 87
LSU’s performance against Florida was purely offensive. They dropped 101 points without Flau'jae Johnson in the lineup and with an acting head coach. Aneesah Morrow was a monster, putting up 36 points and 14 rebounds. When LSU decides to play track-meet basketball, there aren't many teams that can keep pace.
The Final Four: Defense Wins (Some) Games
Saturday’s semifinals gave us two very different styles of basketball. First, South Carolina handled Oklahoma 93-75. The score suggests a blowout, and it mostly was, but Joyce Edwards was the story here. Coming off the bench to score 21 points? That’s the depth that makes Staley’s teams so impossible to prepare for.
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Then came the defensive slugfest: Texas vs. LSU. If you like high-scoring, flashy plays, this wasn't the game for you. It was gritty, physical, and sort of ugly at times. Texas won 56-49. Holding Kim Mulkey’s LSU team under 50 points is a Herculean task, but the Longhorns' defense was relentless. Madison Booker led the way with 25 points, proving why she was the SEC Player of the Year.
Breaking Down the Championship: South Carolina 64, Texas 45
The final on Sunday was supposed to be a clash of titans. Instead, it was a reminder of who actually runs this conference. South Carolina never trailed. Not once.
They started the second quarter on a 19-2 run. Think about that. Texas, a team that had won 15 straight games, went nearly ten minutes only scoring two points. The Gamecocks’ defense was so stifling that Texas finished the game with just five assists total. They shot 29.6% from the field.
Chloe Kitts earned the Tournament MVP honors, finishing the title game with 15 points and 9 rebounds. She averaged 16.7 points per game throughout the tournament and shot a staggering 74% from the floor. Tessa Johnson added 14 points, including two massive three-pointers in the second half that basically ended any hope of a Texas comeback.
Key Stats That Decided the Title
- Points in the Paint: South Carolina 40, Texas 18
- Uncontested FG Attempts: South Carolina 30, Texas 11
- Field Goal Percentage: South Carolina 43%, Texas 29%
- Largest Lead: 21 points
Texas coach Vic Schaefer was visibly frustrated after the game, and you can’t blame him. His team did everything right to get there, including a massive win over LSU the night before. But South Carolina at home (well, Greenville is basically their second home) is a different beast entirely.
What This Means for Your Bracket
Looking back at the sec women's basketball tournament 2025 scores, there are a few things you should take away if you're looking toward the future of these programs.
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First, depth is the only way to beat the elite. South Carolina’s bench is better than most teams' starting fives. When you have players like Joyce Edwards coming off the pine to lead the team in scoring during a semifinal, you’re playing a different game than everyone else.
Second, the SEC is now officially a three-headed monster at the top with South Carolina, Texas, and LSU. While the Gamecocks won comfortably this time, the gap between these three and the rest of the conference is widening. Oklahoma and Kentucky are in that next tier, but they still lack the interior presence to survive three days against the big dogs.
If you’re analyzing these results for future betting or just to sound smart at the sports bar, focus on the "Points in the Paint" and "Transition Points" stats. In almost every game of the 2025 tournament, the team that won the physical battle under the rim won the game. There were very few "live by the three" victories this year.
To stay ahead of the curve, keep an eye on the transfer portal movements for teams like Alabama and Tennessee. They have the perimeter talent, but the 2025 scores showed they got bullied inside by the likes of Raegan Beers and Chloe Kitts. Until they fix that, the trophy is staying in Columbia.
Next Steps for SEC Fans:
Start by reviewing the final season stats for the All-Tournament team members—Chloe Kitts, Sania Feagin, and MiLaysia Fulwiley—to see how their efficiency changed during post-season play. Then, compare the defensive efficiency ratings of Texas and South Carolina heading into the NCAA Tournament; the championship game proved that South Carolina's ability to contest 72% of opponent shots is the gold standard for championship-level defense. Finally, monitor the health of LSU's roster, as their 101-point performance without key starters suggests they remain the biggest wildcard threat to the Gamecocks' dominance.