KNOXVILLE — Tennessee's plan against top-ranked South Carolina was to pack the paint.
The Gamecocks ultimately sent that strategy packing.
Zia Cooke scored 19 points and Kierra Fletcher had 15 as the reigning national champions spoiled the Lady Volunteers' upset bid, winning 73-60 in Thursday night's Southeastern Conference matchup at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Gamecocks (28-0, 15-0), who were coming off an overtime win Sunday at Ole Miss, clinched at least a tie for the regular-season conference title.
Fifth-ranked LSU (26-1, 14-1), which cruised past Vanderbilt on Thursday, can finish no worse than second. The Tigers lost 88-64 at South Carolina on Feb. 12.
"We're blessed," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. "We're a low-maintenance, high-performance team. Can't ask for more than that."
The Lady Vols (20-10, 12-3) jammed the middle against South Carolina, trying to limit opportunities for star Aliyah Boston and daring the Gamecocks to beat them from the perimeter. Staley said Boston, who finished with 11 points, "is a high-level IQ basketball player.
"She doesn't force things," the coach explained. "She always makes the right basketball play."
Cooke and Fletcher combined for 5-for-8 shooting success from 3-point range. The Gamecocks dominated the rebounding, 48-34, with 20 of them on the offensive glass. Kamilla Cardoso had 15 rebounds and Brea Beal had 11, plus that many points. Sixteen of those offensive rebounds came in the first half.
Tennessee coach Kellie Harper, whose team had won three straight games ahead of South Carolina's visit, described the Gamecocks as "a load" to deal with.
"No one's been able to crack them this year," she said, adding that her team didn't box out well enough in the first half, which created more rebounding opportunities for the Gamecocks.
Rickea Jackson scored 21 points for Tennessee, which led 19-10 after the first quarter. Jordan Horston had 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, and Karoline Striplin added 11 points.
Nine straight third-quarter points, five by Fletcher, turned a close game into a double-digit difference.
South Carolina had a 17-0 run in the second quarter as it rallied from 10 down and took a 33-29 lead into halftime. Cooke scored eight straight points in that stretch. The Lady Vols were held scoreless for more than six minutes before Striplin hit a 3 just before the break.
"It takes a little bit of time," Staley said of figuring out the Lady Vols' strategy. "It takes time to figure out where the holes are. We had to maintain our defense."
The Gamecocks went the final 4:44 of the first quarter without scoring as Tennessee built a 19-10 lead.
"We lost our pace in the second quarter," Harper said. "We got some offensive rebounds and looked so excited to get them."
The Lady Vols have now lost to each of the top five teams in the AP Top 25 poll, which makes it easy to understand how they have the toughest schedule in the country. Despite having three conference losses, as the third-place team in the SEC, they have locked up a double bye for the league tournament next week in Greenville, South Carolina.
In regular-season finales on Sunday, South Carolina will visit Georgia (20-9, 9-6) at noon and Tennessee is at Kentucky (10-17, 2-13) at 2 p.m.