Nov. 20, 2007

COLUMBIA – South Carolina staged a furious comeback in the second half but could not hold off Penn State down the stretch, falling to the Lady Lions 70-63 tonight at the Colonial Center. A 12-point deficit became a two-point lead over an eight-minute span before Penn State broke a 54-54 tie at the 3:38 mark and scored 10 unanswered points for a 64-54 advantage with 1:25 remaining. Demetress Adams tied for game-high honors with 17 points for the Gamecocks, while Ilona Burgrova battled on the boards and secured a team-high 10.

After falling behind early in the first half, the Gamecocks made a 7-3 run to even the game at 13-13 with 8:27 left in the half. Freshman Samone Kennedy did the damage early in the stretch with a pair of driving lay-ups, and Adams got Carolina even with a three-point play off a baseline drive and a foul. Penn State reasserted itself immediately, rattling off the next eight points while the Gamecocks turned over the ball on their three trips down the court. Adams and Kennedy again combined for a rally. Adams ended a four-minute Carolina drought with a jumper from the free throw line then hit another short jumper in the lane. Kennedy set up fellow freshman Jasmine Payne twice to cut the deficit to 21-26. The first bucket was a jumper at the right elbow, and the second was a lay-up off a Kennedy steal after a Penn State defensive rebound.

After holding an eight-point lead at the break, the Lady Lions opened the second half quickly, capitalizing on a string of offensive fouls called on Carolina to open a 33-27 lead. Burgrova finally got the Gamecocks on the board with a lay-up off a high-low from Lakesha Tolliver. Dickerson brought Carolina within six when she fought through the lane to stick back her own rebound. Courtney Newton made it a 31-37 game on a mid-range jumper with 16:40 remaining. Within striking distance, the Gamecocks suffered a setback when Adams was forced to the bench with four fouls, sparking another Penn State surge. The Lady Lions took advantage, extending their lead to 31-41, reaching double digits for the first time all night with solid rebounding and baskets in transition.

With a tick under 12 minutes remaining, Carolina brought Adams back and immediately felt the difference. The pace of the game picked up, as did the Gamecocks’ effort on the glass, and Carolina was within eight at 37-45 with 10:12 on the clock thanks to a Kennedy swipe and a Dickerson 14-foot jumper from the left side. The duo hooked up again moments later as Dickerson poked away a Penn State entry pass and pushed it ahead for the speedy Kennedy to track down for the lay-up and a 39-45 margin.

Mark stopped the run with a scrappy basket underneath, but the Gamecocks went right back to work. Tolliver’s free throw made it 40-47, and Dickerson drained a jumper just beyond the free throw line to pull Carolina to 42-47 with 7:45 left. On the next trip down the floor, Tolliver battled across the lane to hit a jump hook, and the Gamecocks were within three. After forcing the Lady Lions into a miss on the other end, Burgrova hit a short jumper on the left baseline for a 46-47 game.

Janessa Wolff stopped the bleeding for Penn State only to see Jordan Jones hit her first basket of the game, a 3-pointer to knot the game at 49-49. Another Penn State turnover sent the Gamecocks streaking back down the court where Dickerson’s 14-footer from the right side gave Carolina its first lead since the opening bucket. The teams traded baskets over the next two minutes until Dickerson’s free throw knotted the game at 54 with 3:38 remaining. The frenetic pace of the Carolina defense caught up with the Gamecocks, though, as jump shots fell short and the Lady Lions returned to their transition game to regain the lead and extend it back to double digits at 64-54 on Grant’s driving lay-up at the 1:25 mark.

Dickerson finished the night with 11 points, and Tolliver added 10. Penn State fifth-year senior Kamela Gissendanner posted the game’s only double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

South Carolina leaves the friendly confines of the Colonial Center for the first time this season when the Gamecocks head to Miami, Fla., for the Florida International Thanksgiving Tournament. Carolina faces Illinois on Fri., Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m.