Dec. 7, 2007
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COLUMBIA – With five players in double-figure points, South Carolina topped Jackson State 82-49 at the Colonial Center tonight. Junior Demetress Adams was two assists away from a triple-double as she posted her third-straight double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds while handing out a career-high eight assists. When Jackson State looked to rally late, the Gamecocks (7-2) got a spark from senior Ebony Jones who buried three of her four 3-pointers over a three-minute span to stem the tide.
The Tigers challenged the Gamecocks early, collecting offensive rebounds for second-chance points early in the first half to counteract the 3-point barrage from Jordan Jones. After Adams put the Gamecocks up two on a pair of free throws with 12:24 on the clock, the Tigers got good ball reversal to free Carena Easley underneath for a lay-up that cut the deficit to 13-14 just 12 seconds later.
South Carolina kicked off a 14-5 run with a 15-foot jumper from Lakesha Tolliver and a short jump shot in the lane from Jasmine Payne after Samone Kennedy picked one of her game-high five steals. Easley pulled up for a jumper on the other end to bring the Tigers back within three points, but Carolina continued its spurt, which was capped by Payne’s lay-up, stretching the lead to double digits at 28-18 with 4:12 in the half. The lead continued to expand as the Gamecock defense forced two more turnovers and did not allow an offensive rebound down the stretch. Kennedy’s driving lay-up at the first-half buzzer made it a 43-18 margin for South Carolina.
The Gamecock lead got as high as 29 at 55-26 when Jewel May sank a pair of free throws with 14:32 on the clock. The Tigers clawed back behind defensive pressure that forced Carolina into six straight turnovers, all but one of which led to a bucket on the other end. JSU’s LaSharee Christian accounted for three of those steals in the backcourt to go on a personal 8-0 run in a 60-second span. Brittney Dowdy brought the Tigers’ deficit under 20 on a put back at the 11:01 mark.
After South Carolina head coach Susan Walvius called a time-out, the Gamecocks regained their composure and scored 13 of the game’s next 15 points, keyed by the Ebony Jones 3-pointers, to get their lead back to 68-38 with 6:47 left to go.
Jordan Jones’ 20 points set a new career high and led all scorers as she went 5-of-7 from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, and hit 7-of-8 free throws. Senior Ilona Burgrova and Ebony Jones matched Adams’ 12 points, and Tolliver rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. South Carolina shot a season-best 60.8 percent from the field, the second-highest field goal percentage in Colonial Center history.
The Gamecocks break for exams next week then head to No. 2 Connecticut for a 7:30 p.m. game on Mon., Dec. 17.
