Nov. 20, 2005
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Behind a stellar second-half effort, the South Carolina women’s basketball team rolled to a 73-42 win over Winthrop Sunday afternoon at the Colonial Center. Gamecock freshman Demetress Adams led all scorers with 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Melanie Johnson tallied her seventh career double-double, netting 15 points and pulling down 13 boards to lead Carolina to a 2-0 record. Winthrop fell to 0-2 on the season.
South Carolina exploded for a 22-3 run, fueled by eight points from Adams, to open the second half and put the game out of reach. USC shot 60 percent in the second half and out-rebounded the Eagles, 46-30, in the game.
Adams shot 5-of-7 from the field and added two assists, three blocks and two steals. She scored in double figures for the second time in her two-game college career, and her 17 points are the most by a true freshman since Lauren Simms had 18 against Kentucky in 2003-04.
Iva Sliskovic joined Adams and Johnson in double-figures with 11 points and added eight rebounds. Sophomore Stacy Booker chipped in with seven points and eight rebounds.
The Gamecocks held a 23-20 lead at halftime, thanks in large part to their ability to get to the free throw line. USC was 10-of-16 from the charity stripe, while Winthrop was just 2-of-2. Johnson led South Carolina in the opening 20 minutes, nearly collecting a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds. Overall, though, the Gamecocks struggled from the field, hitting just six of their 23 shots.
The second half proved to be a different story. The Gamecocks put the Eagles away with that big run and a dominant performance in the paint. After being out-scored 10-8 in the paint in the first half, Carolina finished with a 32-20 advantage in that category. USC held Winthrop to 29.6 percent shooting in the game and forced 25 turnovers.
Today’s win extended South Carolina’s win streak against teams from the Big South Conference to 18 and improved head coach Susan Walvius record in non-conference home games to 51-8.
The Gamecocks next travel to the Junkanoo Jam Torunament, played in Freeport on Grand Bahama Island. South Carolina opens with a game against Texas at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 25, and will play either Purdue or George Washington the following day. Both games will be broadcast live on WISW 1320-AM.
