Dec. 1, 2007
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COLUMBIA – Behind a strong start and furious finish, South Carolina topped a scrappy UNC Wilmington team 72-60 at the Colonial Center tonight. The Gamecocks opened the game with a 9-0 run only to see the Seahawks claw their way back in. And, when the game was on the line with four minutes, defense and rebounding came alive to spur a 12-0 surge that sealed the victory. Senior Lakesha Tolliver provided defense around the basket as she swatted away a school record seven shots on the night and needs just two more to tie the school record for career blocks.
The Seahawks suffered through missed shots early as the Gamecocks started aggressively, especially on defense. On UNCW’s second trip down the floor, Tolliver swatted away three straight attempts by Sahsha Taylor. Trailing by nine at the 15:36 mark, the Seahawks started their comeback with four straight points from Taylor. Tolliver’s layup ended the run, but UNCW picked right back up as Brittany Blackwell dropped in a layup off a steal and Martha White’s mid-range jumper narrowed the margin to three.
The Gamecocks surged ahead again before Stephanie Fernald went for five straight points to get UNCW within 20-17 with 9:20 left in the half. An Ilona Burgrova layup and a Tolliver jumper pushed the margin back to seven, setting up Blackwell’s personal 6-0 run, which Taylor capped with a short jumper to give the Seahawks their first lead of the game at 25-24 with 4:08 in the half. The Gamecocks again went inside for the answer with Demetress Adams and Tolliver scoring the next four points for a one-point halftime lead.
The first 15 minutes of the second half saw the game tied seven times as neither team could wrest control. The Gamecocks went up by four or more points four times only to see the Seahawks recover. After Blackwell hit a layup in transition to tie the score at 53-53 with 4:36 to go, the Gamecock defense clamped down.
Jordan Jones hit a three at the top of the arc behind a solid screen from Burgrova. Tolliver answered Treasure Johnson’s layup with a long jumper for a 58-55 Gamecock lead. Quick interior passing led to Burgrova’s layup with 2:38 on the clock for a 60-55 margin, and free throws from Adams, Tolliver and freshman Samone Kennedy over the next 90 seconds extended the lead to 12 with just over a minute left.
Five Gamecocks ended the night in double-digit points, led by Tolliver’s 18. Jones added 13, Adams and Payne netted 11 each, and Burgrova rounded out the effort with 10. Adams collected her second double-double of the season with a career-high 13 rebounds, including five on the offensive end, and also handed out a team-high five assists. Blackwell led the Seahawks with 20 points, while Fernald and Johnson kicked in 10 apiece.
South Carolina has a quick turnaround between games as the Gamecocks host Charleston Southern on Tue., Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. at the Colonial Center.
