STARKVILLE, Miss. -- — Chloe Kitts had 17 points and 10 rebounds to help No. 2 South Carolina erase a double-digit deficit and beat Mississippi State 95-68 on Sunday.

Mississippi State had an 11-point lead midway through the second quarter before the game shifted. South Carolina outscored the Bulldogs 19-2 in the final five minutes of the period to get the lead and extend it to 42-34 at halftime. The Gamecocks never looked back.

The defending national champions outscored the Bulldogs 26-11 in the third to earn the rout. The Gamecocks (13-1, 2-0 SEC) got 20 points from Tessa Johnson, who made four 3-pointers. Te-Hina PaoPao finished with 15 points, five assists and four rebounds and Joyce Edwards had 10 points.

Jerkaila Jordan had 24 points to lead the Bulldogs (13-3, 0-2). Destiney McPhaul had 14 points off the bench and Eniya Russell scored 12.

Takeaways

Mississippi State: It was a solid first punch for the Bulldogs out of the gates, but the team played too carelessly to pull off the upset.

South Carolina: While it remains to be seen if the Gamecocks can win yet another SEC and national championship, they certainly looked the part of a team that can do it for the final 25 minutes.

Key moment

After the Bulldogs led 34-28 with nearly four minutes remaining in the first half, South Carolina went on a 34-2 run to put the game away. The Bulldogs’ turnovers and Gamecocks heating up from the field did the trick as State had 20 turnovers and South Carolina made 10-of-21 3-pointers.

Up next

Mississippi State hosts No. 9 Oklahoma on Thursday while the No. 2 Gamecocks will host Texas A&M.

------

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball