As South Carolina coach Dawn Staley took the mic at center court of the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina, before she could properly celebrate the SEC tournament championship win over LSU she first had to address a game-halting scuffle that had occurred just a few minutes before.
With the Gamecocks leading the Tigers by seven with just over two minutes to play in the fourth quarter, South Carolina freshman guard MiLaysia Fulwiley stole the ball from LSU sophomore guard Flau’jae Johnson. As Fulwiley moved away from Johnson, Johnson attempted to reel Fulwiley in by pulling on the back of her jersey, causing Fulwiley to spin toward the sideline.
As Johnson walked toward the LSU bench, she exchanged words with South Carolina sophomore forward Ashlyn Watkins. Johnson then shoved Watkins, which led to Gamecocks senior Kamilla Cardoso running toward Johnson before pushing her to the ground. As the exchange unfolded, Johnson’s brother (who was charged with assault) was also seen jumping out of the stands and coming onto the floor, where he engaged Cardoso before being led off the court.
The sequence of events led to the ejection of Cardoso and both team’s benches. When South Carolina celebrated their championship win, only the players who remained in the game stood on the podium.
It was a disappointing end to an otherwise riveting second installment between the two high-powered programs. The moment also overshadowed the latest milestone for a South Carolina team that has put together a dominant season.
Here are two main takeaways from Sunday’s exchange.
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An intense game was to be expected
From the beginning of Sunday’s championship contest, there was a heightened level of chippiness between teams. LSU forward Angel Reese and South Carolina center Cardoso were seen battling in the paint within the opening minutes of the game.
LSU is the defending national champion and South Carolina has been the top-ranked team in the country for most of the season. In January, the two teams delivered one of the best games of the college basketball season, won by the Gamecocks 76-70 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This was absolutely a revenge game for the Tigers and that intensity was felt from the opening tip.
Cardoso and Reese continued their physical play throughout the game. During the second quarter, in a play missed by officials, Reese was seen pulling on Cardoso’s hair as she exited the paint. Later in the quarter, Reese was assessed an intentional foul for an errant elbow after being pushed off by Cardoso.
While accountability should be expected from both teams after Sunday’s events, it should also be directed to the game’s officiating crew who, despite the game’s physical nature, seemingly lost control of the game long before the fourth-quarter eruption.
Physical violence should never be the result no matter how intense the play on the court or heightened the emotion from any player. While it was clear Cardoso was merely protecting her people, it was taken too far. For that reason, her exit was justified. It feels important, though, to acknowledge the events that led up to the boiling point.
“I just want to apologize for what took place out here today,” Staley said from the podium. “Sometimes, when you play basketball, things get a little bit heated. I know it didn’t come from an ugly place.”
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The end overshadowed the Gamecocks’ achievement
This was an unfortunate end to the conference season for South Carolina, which will enter the NCAA tournament 32-0. Instead of celebrating an eighth conference trophy in 10 seasons, the scuffle clouded another achievement in the Gamecocks’ remarkable season.
The moment was also unfortunate for Staley, who has worked tirelessly to thwart the unfounded criticisms of her team and protect her players. Staley has always stood up for her players and team, historically composed mostly of Black women, who have long been the targets of online racism, microaggressions and coded language.
“We’ve been called thugs. We’ve been called prisoners. We’ve been called monkeys,” Staley said in February 2023.
Critics pray and wait for an opportunity to criticize Staley and her program. Those very trolls used Sunday’s events to attack Staley and her players. Johnson and Reese were also subject to attacks on social media.
It’s important to note, though, how Staley addressed the scuffle.
Staley handled the difficult moment with grace, publicly apologizing to the “basketball community” for the incident and taking accountability for her team’s actions. Staley knows the repercussions of any alternate delivery. It was the kind of leadership Staley has demonstrated time and time again.
The postgame comments from LSU coach Kim Mulkey took a different tone. She stating that the dustup was ugly and something “no one wants to be a part of.”
“I wish she would have pushed Angel Reese,” Mulkey told reporters. “Don’t push a kid — you’re 6-foot-8. Don’t push somebody that little. That was uncalled-for, in my opinion. Let those two girls that were jawing, let them go at it.”
Later this month, South Carolina will continue its attempt to make history in the NCAA tournament. They’ll likely begin without Cardoso, who is expected to be suspended for the tournament’s opening round. It would be unsurprising if the teams square off once more in Cleveland at the Final Four. Staley welcomed as much following Sunday’s win.
Together, LSU and South Carolina are elevating women’s basketball. Sunday’s skirmish was undoubtedly a blemish, but it shouldn’t diminish that spotlight.
“I just don’t want the people tuning in to women’s basketball to see that and think that it’s our game, because it isn’t,” Staley said after the game. “Our game is a really beautiful thing, and to be quite honest, this is a part of it now. So, we have to fix it, and we have to move on.”
