Dec. 29, 2004
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina survived a scare from Coastal Carolina Wednesday at the Colonial Center, but claimed a convincing 70-50 win in the first round of the Carolina Classic.
The Gamecocks improved to 5-6 overall on the year, while Coastal dipped to 3-5 overall, but it wasn’t until USC finished the game on a 30-5 run before the Gamecocks were able to blow it open. In doing so, Carolina set up tomorrow’s Carolina Classic final that is set to tip off at 7:45 p.m. against Seton Hall, who was a 59-41 winner over Campbell earlier in the day.
Wednesday’s game was a completely different world from the last time the Gamecocks and Chanticleers met, when South Carolina claimed a 94-34 win over Coastal Carolina in 2001. The Chanticleers curbed any potential Gamecock surges during the first 30 minutes by making timely baskets and keeping their composure against South Carolina’s pressure defense.
For the third consecutive game, Melanie Johnson starred for Carolina by playing an all-around game. The Barnwell native finished with a career-high 18 points, 18 rebounds, five steals, seven assists and four blocked shots.
Coastal Carolina led for the majority of the second half and owned a 45-40 lead with 10:37 remaining before South Carolina surged ahead.
Also playing well for the third consecutive game was sophomore forward Iva Sliskovic, who finished with 11 points and four rebounds in 17 minutes of action. Sliskovic, who scored 11 points last game against South Carolina State and added nine points and nine rebounds against Birmingham Southern in the game prior, is enjoying her most productive stretch of the season. She came into this season as Carolina’s leading returning scorer and rebounder from last year, when she averaged 11.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game as a freshman.
Gamecock freshman Ilona Burgrova also enjoyed her best outing of the season, finishing with 15 points and five rebounds. Burgrova was 6-of-9 from the field and hit all three of her free throw attempts.
Coastal did an excellent job of negating South Carolina’s considerable height advantage in the first half, as the Gamecocks had only four more rebounds than the Chanticleers at the half, 17-13. With Coastal Carolina battling on the glass, the game stayed close, with South Carolina going into the locker room with a slight 30-25 lead.
The Gamecocks, who entered Wednesday’s game leading the SEC and ranking among the top five nationally in blocked shots at 7.1 blocks per game, finished with six blocks Wednesday. The Gamecocks have swatted 10 or more shots on four different occasions this year.
In game one of the Classic, Seton Hall claimed a 59-41 win over Campbell to advance to tomorrow’s championship game. Forward Heta Korpivaara led the way for the Pirates, scoring a game-high 20 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Korpivaara’s play was a key factor for a Seton Hall team that owned a 32-12 advantage over Campbell in points in the paint.
Campbell and Coastal Carolina will play in the consolation game of the Carolina Classic. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
