No. 8 Gamecocks Top No. 20 Georgia 77-65 Thursday In Athens
Feb. 15, 2018
#8/8 South Carolina 77, #20/19 Georgia 65
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) – Tyasha Harris scored 20 points, A’ja Wilson added a double-double and No. 8 South Carolina took control in the second half to beat No. 20 Georgia 77-65 on Thursday night.
Wilson had 18 points and 16 rebounds for South Carolina (21-5, 10-3 Southeastern Conference) in a game that provided clarity to the top of the conference standings.
The teams began the night in a three-way tie with No. 11 Tennessee for second place in the SEC behind undefeated No. 2 Mississippi State. Alabama beat Tennessee 72-63 Thursday night, leaving South Carolina alone in second place.
Alexis Jennings had 19 points and Bianca Jackson had 13 for South Carolina.
Taja Cole led Georgia (21-5, 9-4) with 12 points. Que Morrison, Mackenzie Engram and Caliya Robinson each had 11 points. Robinson scored only three points after briefly leaving the game in the second quarter with an apparent ankle injury.
Maya Caldwell’s late 3-pointer gave Georgia a 37-35 halftime lead. There were three ties in the third quarter, the last at 45-all. The Gamecocks scored the next six points, including five by Harris, and closed the period with a 14-5 run.
The Gamecocks continued to pull away in the final period.
NOTABLE
- Carolina’s 77 points were its most against Georgia under head coach Dawn Staley. The performance marked just the second time a team reached 70 points in a game between the two since 2009.
- Thursday was Carolina’s fifth win against a ranked foe this season. The Gamecocks reached five or more wins over top-25 foes for the fourth-straight season.
- The victory over the Lady Bulldogs gave Carolina double-digit wins in SEC play for the seventh-straight year.
- Carolina sophomore guard Tyasha Harris (20 points) shot 6-of-8 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the line en route to her third 20-point game of the season.
GAMECHANGER
The Gamecocks closed the third quarter on a 14-5 run to seize momentum and head to the final break with a 59-50 advantage. Tyasha Harris (8) and A’ja Wilson (6) combined to account for each of Carolina’s points during the stretch.
KEY STAT
Carolina defended the 3-point line well Thursday, holding the Bulldogs to 2-of-11 (18.2 percent) from distance. Georgia, which entered the game shooting 32.2 percent from beyond the arc this season, went 0-of-4 from the 3-point line in the second half.
UP NEXT
Carolina is back in action this weekend when it hosts Kentucky on Sun., Feb. 18. Tipoff from Colonial Life Arena is slated for 3 p.m. ET, and the contest will air on SEC Network.
