Jan. 17, 2007
Columbia, S.C. – Shannel Harris had a premonition that Sunday was going to be a good day. The senior from Lawrenceville, Ga., knocked down a three pointer with the shot clock winding down to open the scoring against Alabama, just her second of the season. Harris then swished a baseline jumper 20 seconds later. She didn’t score again the rest of the game, but it didn’t matter. The Gamecocks were well on their way to the biggest SEC win in school history: 95-35 over the Crimson Tide. It was Carolina’s first league victory of the season, which also ended a three game slide.
“We needed a win to show what we are capable of,” said Harris. “Nobody should take us lightly.”
The Gamecocks also needed to wash out the awful taste in their mouths following Thursday’s heartbreaking loss to Vanderbilt. Carolina built a double-digit advantage, only to watch it slip away in the final six minutes. Two free throws by Dee Davis with 22.6 seconds left gave Vanderbilt its first and only lead of the game, 67-66, which ended up being the final score. Nobody was more shocked by the result than the players themselves.
“You could feel the anger and disappointment in the locker room,” Harris remembered. “It was in our hands and we let it go. We weren’t going to let that happen again.”
So practice the next day started with a film session of the sloppy ending against the Commodores, followed by repeated offensive work against full court pressure. But the coaching staff stressed the mental aspect of the loss too.
“You need to be able to expect to be ahead and value the basketball and execute in those critical game situations,” said head coach Susan Walvius. “They worked real hard getting ready for Alabama.”
The Gamecocks were certainly prepared for the Tide’s pressure defense, and even used it to their advantage by scoring 25 fast break points. Carolina also took better care of the ball, committing 16 turnovers (11 less than the previous game), while forcing Alabama into 34 miscues.
“We knew Alabama was going to press,” said forward Melanie Johnson, who scored 10 points in the victory. “That was their key to beating us. But once they realized that it wasn’t working, I think it tired them out and that’s where we took control.”
Every one of Johnson’s teammates also scored as the Gamecocks feasted on an Alabama team that started three freshmen. Now that the first SEC victory is under its belt, Carolina will take some momentum back on the road for two games, starting with No. 24 Ole Miss on Thursday.
“We’re all feeding off of that win,” said Johnson. “I think we’re practicing a whole lot better and our execution has been better. It’s given us a real boost.”
The Gamecocks proved there were no lingering effects from the Vanderbilt loss. Now that they have bounced back, there’s no telling how high they can go.
Fast Break Points
Rebel connection: Ole Miss freshman Shantell Black attended Collins Hill High School with both Carolina seniors Shannel Harris and Stacy Booker. Booker wasn’t shy when pointing out that Collins Hill (17-0) is currently the number one team in the country, according to the USA Today Super 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings.
Programming note: Don’t miss another edition of the Susan Walvius TV show, Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. on Time Warner Cable Channel 7.
