Dec. 17, 2007
STORRS, Conn. — South Carolina women’s basketball suffered a 97-39 setback at No. 2 Connecticut tonight as the Huskies held the Gamecocks (7-3) to 21 percent shooting. Senior Ilona Burgrova was the lone Gamecock to steady the ship as she tallied 11 points, including nine of the team’s 20 in the second half. The Huskies forced South Carolina into 23 turnovers, which they converted into 35 points.
The Huskies jumped out to an 8-0 lead until Burgrova ended the Gamecock drought with a bucket from the right block. UConn continued to work in transition as the Gamecock offense struggled in the half-court until senior Ebony Jones hit back-to-back 3-pointers to narrow the gap to 20-12 with 9:41 to go in the half. It would be three minutes until South Carolina found the scoreboard again with Demetress Adams hitting a pair of free throws. She continued to work in the lane, collecting the Gamecocks’ next two baskets. The Huskies’ offense was simply more efficient in the half, capitalizing on 14 Gamecock turnovers and dominating on the glass, out-rebounding Carolina 33-17 before the break.
The second half got off to a promising start with a well-executed play that resulted in a lay-up for Lakesha Tolliver, but the Huskies rattled off the next 14 points, capped by a Ketia Swanier 3-pointer, which extended the lead to 57-21 with 16:49 to go. When South Carolina got the ball in the post, Burgrova was able to make the Huskies pay, netting five points in a one-minute span on a traditional three-point play and a tough lay-up on the ensuing possession.
Junior Brionna Dickerson returned to the lineup for South Carolina, scoring seven points and pulling down a team-high seven rebounds in 36 minutes. Adams, who fouled out with 10:52 left in the second half, finished the game with nine points on 3-of-3 shooting and five rebounds.
UConn had three players in double figures, led by Tina Charles’ game-high 23 on 10-of-16 shooting. Swanier and Maya Moore joined Charles with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Charles completed the double-double with 10 rebounds. The Huskies shot 48.1 percent and handed South Carolina its largest loss in school history.
South Carolina returns to action on Wed., Dec. 19, against Alabama A&M. Tip-off at the Colonial Center is slated for 4:45 p.m. as the first game of the men’s/women’s doubleheader.
