Nov. 29, 2005
COLUMBIA, S.C. – A dominating second-half performance by Georgia Southern was the difference as the undersized but feisty Lady Eagles claimed a 73-66 upset win over South Carolina at the Colonial Center Tuesday.
South Carolina slipped to 2-3 on the season, while the Lady Eagles captured their first win of the season and moved to 1-3.
The Gamecocks had a substantial height advantage at every position on the court, but the Lady Eagles found a way to keep the rebounding margin close with hustle and hard work. Georgia Southern’s hustle and desire was the difference in the game. Making the outcome surprising was the fact that Carolina had just come off a pair of narrow defeats at the hands of No. 18 Texas and No. 19 Purdue at the Junkanoo Jam in The Bahamas last week.
Stacy Booker led the way for Carolina with 20 points, including a pair of big three-pointers late in the game to keep Carolina’s hopes alive. No other Gamecock player scored in double-figures, but Demetress Adams finished with nine points and 10 rebounds. Guards Tiffany Brown, Fallon Lee and Lee DuBose combined with forward Nicole Newton to score 60 points for Georgia Southern, with Brown finishing with a team-high 17 points.
Turnovers plagued the Gamecocks, who gave the ball away 19 times. Poor shooting from beyond the arc was another concern for the Carolina after converting on only five of 21 attempts from three-point range.
Coach Susan Walvius went with her fifth different starting lineup in as many games, but it was the bench that stole the show in the first half, outscoring Georgia Southern’s reserves, 23-0 in the opening stanza. Though Carolina held a large advantage in bench points, it became inconsequential, as 69 of Georgia Southern’s 73 points were scored by the starting five.
The loss snapped Carolina’s 13-game winning streak over Georgia Southern and also snapped the Gamecocks’ 23-game winning streak over teams from the Southern Conference.
Ilona Burgrova grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in tonight’s loss. The Gamecocks blocked seven shots and had 14 steals.
Carolina breaks for final exams, then returns to action when it hosts Minnesota at 7 p.m. on Dec. 13 at the Colonial Center. The game against the Golden Gophers opens a stretch of five games in nine days for the Gamecocks. All games will be broadcast live
