December 1, 2001
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Teresa Geter scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the 25th-ranked South Carolina women’s basketball team held off an early second half surge by visiting Duquesne to claim a 75-61 win in a non-conference game at Carolina Coliseum Friday night.
Duquesne (2-3), who trailed by 12 at the break, started the second half with an 8-0 run behind consecutive three-point shots by Shiri Sharon and Oxana Shetko. The Lady Dukes then stayed right with USC, climbing as close at three points on two occasions, the latter of which came at the 5:34 mark at 54-51.
South Carolina (5-1), though, responded with a seven-point run of their own, finally pulling away from the pesky Lady Dukes. Sophomore guard Kelly Morrone snapped the run as she nailed a deep three-pointer from the top of the key. After two Geter free throws, Shannon Segres converted an off-balance fast break lay-up to stretch the margin to 10 at 61-51. South Carolina, never threatened thereafter, converted 14-of-18 free throws down the stretch in the final 4:08 to ice the victory.
South Carolina fifth-year coach Susan Walvius was impressed with the play of Geter, who was the game’s top scorer as she recorded her fifth career double-double.
“Teresa is a tremendous talent, but we’ve needed to find a way to work her into the system more, and we worked on that,” said Walvius. “It’s important that she play well for us.”
The Lady Gamecocks took advantage of a dismal first-half shooting effort by the Lady Dukes to grow its lead to as much as 14 late in the first half. Duquesne shot just 23.3% from the floor in the first 20 minutes. Over a 14:22 stretch, Duquesne managed just two field goals and eight total points, during which time the Lady Gamecocks capitalized on the drought, outscoring them 24-8. South Carolina poured on runs of 9-0 and 8-0 during the stretch. Jocelyn Penn paced the USC charge, scoring six of her 14 points during the two runs.
On the night, USC shot 48.2% from the field opposed to 33.3% efficiency from Duquesne. Candace Futrell lead Duquesne with 19 points as three Lady Dukes scored in double figures.
South Carolina played without its leading scorer and rebounder, senior guard Shaunzinski Gortman. The Columbia native, who is averaging 17.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game on the season, suffered a bone bruise in the Lady Gamecocks’ loss at Clemson Wednesday night. A Friday morning MRI revealed no ligament damage to Gortman, who is listed as day-to-day by the school.
Walvius was pleased with how her squad overcame the absence of its top performer.
“Obviously we are not as strong without Shaun Gortman on the court,” said Walvius. “But we were very poised offensively, and Christina Ciocan played particularly well and did a fantastic job running the show.”
South Carolina returns to action Sunday, December 2, when the Lady Gamecocks host Syracuse at 2:00 p.m. at the Carolina Coliseum.
“Syracuse is a very good team, and this game is very important for NCAA Tournament purposes,” added Walvius.
