Jan. 22, 2006
Tuscaloosa, Ala. – The South Carolina women’s basketball team claimed a 67-48 win over Alabama Sunday at Coleman Coliseum. With the win, South Carolina improved to 10-7 overall and 1-4 in Southeastern Conference play, with Alabama dipping to 8-10 overall and 2-3 in the SEC.
A 10-2 Carolina run early in the second half turned a 26-23 Gamecock lead into a 36-25 advantage with 14:11 remaining. The lead swelled to 54-34 with under seven minutes remaining, as Carolina’s defense limited Alabama to only 28.3 percent shooting in the game to douse any hopes of a Crimson Tide comeback. Carolina, meanwhile, converted on 16-of-22 field goals in the second half (72.7 percent).
Hot shooting from three-point range also sparked the Gamecocks in the second half, as Carolina buried seven of eight treys in the second half and converted on eight of 13 (61.5 percent) in the game, led by Stacy Booker’s perfect 4-for-4 effort from beyond the arc. Booker finished with a game-high 14 points. Freshman Demetress Adams finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.
The Gamecocks took a 22-19 lead into the locker room at halftime. South Carolina’s defense was very effective in the first half, as the Gamecocks limited the Crimson Tide to 5-of-26 shooting from the field (19.2 percent). However, Carolina threw away many of the opportunities it had to create separation on the scoreboard by committing 12 turnovers in the opening stanza.
Adams led the way for Carolina in the first half, scoring six points and grabbing seven rebounds. Booker added five points for the Gamecocks, with Nettles and Hill scoring five points apiece for Alabama in the opening 20 minutes. When Booker drained a three-pointer with just under three minutes remaining in the first half, it marked the 12th consecutive game in which the junior has knocked down at least one three-pointer.
Including Sunday’s game, the Gamecocks have now won six of their last eight meetings with the Crimson Tide.
Sunday’s contest pitted two of the top rebounding teams in the SEC against each other, as the Crimson Tide led the league with a +10.6 rebounding margin and the Gamecocks ranked second in the league at +9.6.
The Gamecocks return to action when they host No. 13 Georgia at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Colonial Center. The game will be televised live on CSS, with the radio broadcast available locally on 1320 WISW AM radio and worldwide via the internet on the official web site of the Gamecocks, www.uscsports.com.
