Nov. 14, 2011

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — A strong night for the frontcourt helped South Carolina to a 60-53 victory over Alabama A&M in women’s basketball action Monday night at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks pounded the ball inside to junior Ashley Bruner and freshman Aleighsa Welch, and the duo combined for 27 of the team’s 60 points.

“[Ashley and Aleighsa] played great tonight, and they play great together in practice,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said. “I thought Aleighsa played especially will with it being her second college game. I knew she would instantly help our basketball team because she is pretty aggressive, has a great basketball IQ and doesn’t mind mixing it up. Ashley’s a starter for us, but for right now she’s giving us a bang off the bench. She’s doing the things she has done the last couple years for us.”

For the Gamecocks, the offense opened up with some long range shooting early, then got the inside and transition games going to build a 15-point lead midway through the half. South Carolina went on a 15-2 run behind an aggressive defense keyed by the entrance of Ebony Wilson. The run started with an Aleighsa Welch put back followed by Ashley Bruner’s move on the left block with a 13-10 Gamecock lead. After Alabama A&M hit a free throw, the Gamecocks scored the next eight points as the Bulldogs turned it over three straight possessions. Bruner added four of the points with Ieasia Walker hitting a pair of transition layups and a free throw for a 22-11 South Carolina lead with under 10 minutes to play in the half. Sutton added a driving layup, and Welch closed the run with a transition layup to put the Gamecocks up 26-11.

The Bulldogs fought back, capitalizing on a series of Gamecock turnovers. Trailing 30-16 with two minutes left in the half, A&M scored the final eight points of the period to trail just 30-24 at the break.

At the start of the second half Ashley Bruner came out strong, going 3-of-3 from the field bringing the Gamecock advantage up to 39-30. With the lead hovering around nine points, Welch became the offensive aggressor, scoring the Gamecocks’ next eight points. Rebounding kept the Bulldogs close, however, and closed the gap to 51-47 with 5:33 to play. From there, Gamecock guards Walker and La’Keisha Sutton took control, repeatedly driving to the basket and hitting the resulting free throws to hold off the A&M and collect the win.

Bruner led the team in scoring with 15 total points, followed closely by Walker and Sutton with 13 apiece. Welch rounded out the double-digit scorers for South Carolina with 12 points and fell one rebound shy of her first career double-double with a team-high nine rebounds. Bruner pulled down five of her eight rebounds on the offensive end, and Sutton reeled in six boards. Senior Markeshia Grant handed out a career-high six assists on the night.

The Gamecocks head back out on the road for a Thursday night showdown at archrival Clemson. The athletics department and Firehouse Subs are sponsoring a Fan Bus to the game. Contact the women’s basketball office at (803) 777-0371 for information on the trip.