Jan. 23, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley announced today that the right knee injury suffered by senior Demetress Adams at Mississippi Thursday night is season ending. Adams left the game with 10:51 left in the first half and did not return following an on-site examination. Further evaluation by Dr. Jeffrey Guy, medical director for the athletics department, revealed that the extent of the injury would prevent Adams from returning to the court this season.

“It is truly a sad day at South Carolina,” Staley said. “We will miss Demetress on the court, but I know she will continue to do whatever she can to help her teammates be successful the rest of the season.”

Adams is the Gamecocks’ second-leading scorer and ranks 24th in the SEC with 10.7 points per game. Her 7.2 rebounds per game is currently fifth-best in the SEC, and she ranks 12th in the league with 1.2 blocks per outing. Adams recorded four double-doubles this season and was the team’s leading rebounder seven times. She netted double-figure points 11 times, including eight games of 14 or more points.

During her four-year career, Adams averaged 8.7 points and 6.6 rebounds. She closes her time as a Gamecock ranked among the program’s all-time top 10 in four categories. Her career .535 field goal percentage (389-727) is the eighth-best in school history, and she is fourth in both career offensive (274) and defensive (462) rebounds. She blocked 140 shots in her career to rank third in that category. After a break-out junior season during which she averaged career highs in both points (10.9 ppg) and rebounds (8.9 ppg), she was second-team All-SEC selection and a earned a preseason All-SEC nod this season.