Going into the SEC tournament semifinals against her former team, MiLaysia Fulwiley had just one objective: “Not try to do too much and just go out there confident.” To a certain extent, the LSU guard did exactly that, capping off her night with 24 points. Although she couldn’t carry her team to victory, Fulwiley did earn some praise from her former coach, Dawn Staley.

The reality set in at the post-game press conference when Staley was asked to comment on Fulwiley’s performance in the game that almost tilted the game in LSU’s favor.

“I still think MiLaysia is a generational talent,” Staley said. “She does things out there on the floor that I haven’t seen a whole lot of female basketball players do. I’m generally happy for her. Like, I’m super happy. She’s actually doing some of the things that we talked about her doing. Just direct line drives and making plays. We all know she can play. We all know that she undoubtedly is a tremendous player.”

 “She’s also a junior now, so some of the things that she’s doing now, you just do because you’re more seasoned doing it. But I’m happy for her. Like I’m really happy for her,” Staley further added.

For context, Fulwiley had two decent seasons with South Carolina in her initial years under Staley. But in her first season following the move to LSU, the 5’10 guard is having a career season. She’s getting more minutes, scoring more, and has also quietly fit into her role as a decent playmaker.

It was quite prevalent during Saturday’s game against her former team as well. Fulwiley logged 35 minutes during the game. She made a steady start with two precise two-pointers in a span of two minutes. But it was the second quarter that left her former team feeling the full force of her talent. Being down by 4 in the first quarter, the Tigers were looking to mount a comeback, and this is when Fulwiley stepped in.

The LSU guard tipped off her second half with a two-pointer and eventually went on to score 11 points as the Tigers outdid the Gamecocks 23-15 in the second quarter. It was a much-improved performance from the last time around in February, when Fulwiley had just 6 points in the game.

Despite this staggering outing, Fulwiley got very little support from the starters except Jada Richard and Mikaylah Williams. From a broader perspective, the team struggled with ball security, committing 14 turnovers, and their cold shooting from beyond the arc (33%) didn’t help their cause, as the defeat marked LSU’s 19th straight loss in the series against the Gamecocks.

On the other hand, Dawn Staley’s South Carolina, riding high over 15+ points from Raven Johnson, Joyce Edwards, and Ta’Niya Latson, advances to the SEC Championship game.

Dawn Staley Explains the Significance of Her Contending for Another Conference Championship

With Staley as head coach, the South Carolina Gamecocks haven’t had much difficulty in finding SEC conference success. 9 conference titles, including 3 back-to-back in the last few years, add more weight to it. Yet despite this abundant success, reaching another SEC tournament final means a lot to Dawn Staley and her team.

“I mean, this is a hard league,” Staley said in the post-game press conference. “When I came to the SEC 18 years ago, coached in the A-10 for eight years, we came here for just this, to play against the best, to coach against the best, to try to outfox the other coaches down the sideline.”

To maintain such consistency in a challenging SEC conference is indeed a tough task. And for Dawn Staley, there’s one major factor in her program’s success over her 18 years at the helm: the players.

“I didn’t think it was going to be this hard. Because it’s incredibly hard. It’s not for the faint of heart. But to do it in the fashion that we’ve done it, you’ve got to give it up to our players,” the South Carolina head coach further added.

South Carolina’s SEC Championship game against the Texas Longhorns is set to tip off on Sunday (March 08) at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. It will be an evenly matched contest between two top teams and aggressive coaches from SEC play. Notably, this will be the third matchup between these two teams this season.

The teams split their two previous matchups this season. But on Sunday, the stakes will be even higher with the conference championship on the line. The Gamecocks have proved how efficient they are with ball movement and security in the LSU game on Saturday. Despite that, Staley can’t afford to sit back, given that they have defeated Vic Schaefer’s team once already in the season.

The Longhorns have improved immensely, losing only one game since then. Texas defeated the Ole Miss Rebels in a blowout victory in the semifinals and will be equally motivated as the Gamecocks to get their hands on the SEC title, suggesting a tightrope game. What are your expectations for this SEC Championship game? Do let us know in the comments.