GREENVILLE — Chloe Kitts was named the SEC tournament MVP after three strong performances for South Carolina women’s basketball en route to a third straight tournament title.
Kitts was crucial to the top-seeded Gamecocks winning their fifth SEC tournament championship in the past six years, with a team-high 15 points and nine rebounds, plus three assists, a block and steal in the 64-45 win over No. 2 seed Texas on Sunday at Bon Secours Arena.
Kitts started the tournament with a dominant showing against Vanderbilt, with 25 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in the 84-63 win on Friday. She averaged 16.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in the three games, shooting 74.2% from the field.
It was the ninth overall SEC tournament title for South Carolina (30-3), which set a conference record by appearing in a sixth straight tournament final.
South Carolina has lost in the SEC tournament final just once during that streak, dropping the 2022 championship game in a thriller against Kentucky. The Gamecocks missed making the SEC final game in 2019, the only time that has happened since 2015.
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Kitts has averaged 10 points, 7.8 rebounds and two assists while shooting 52.8% from the field this season.