Gamecocks Fall at Duke in Season's First Loss
Dec. 4, 2016
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DURHAM, N.C. — No. 3/3 South Carolina suffered its first loss of the season Sunday, falling to Duke 74-63 at Cameron Indoor Stadium after seeing its fourth-quarter rally come up short. The Gamecocks moved to 6-1 with the loss, while Duke improved to 9-1.
After heading into the final quarter facing a double-digit deficit, the Gamecocks knocked down three 3-pointers in the opening two minutes of the period to cut the Duke lead to 57-52. Junior guard Allisha Gray began the 9-2 run with a basket from behind the arc before back-to-back 3-pointers from fellow junior Kaela Davis brought Carolina within five. The Gamecocks remained within single-digits of the lead over the next few minutes, and a nifty left-handed runner from Davis again cut the Blue Devil advantage to five at 62-57 with 3:12 left to play.
Duke tallied the game’s next four points, and junior guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore kept Carolina in the contest when she rattled home a 3-pointer from the corner to keep it a two-possession game at 66-60 with 1:42 on the clock. Carolina was unable to get any closer the rest of the way, and a 6-0 Duke run pushed the advantage back to double digits and put the game out of reach.
Gamecock junior forward A’ja Wilson notched a team-high 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting, as she joined Davis and Gray in double figures. Davis totaled 14 points and six rebounds, while Gray filled up the stat sheet with 11 points, six rebounds and six assists.
The Gamecocks grabbed control out of the gate, using a 12-0 run to build a double-digit lead with 4:21 left in the first quarter. Wilson, who netted a career-high 31 points against No. 14/15 Texas Thursday night, picked up where she left off and knocked down a pair of inside jumpers in the early going to even the score at four. Her hot start continued midway through the first quarter, and the forward’s 3-point play gave the Gamecocks a 9-4 advantage. Another field goal from the junior made it 14-4 after she used her size to grab a pass from Davis and convert from the right block. The Blue Devils fought back with a run of their own, scoring 10 of the period’s final 12 points to cut the Carolina lead to 16-14 at the first break.
Duke’s momentum carried over into the second quarter when back-to-back layups from senior forward Oderah Chidom gave the Blue Devils an 18-16 advantage. A put-back bucket from Alaina Coates and another basket inside by Wilson helped keep the Gamecocks within three of the lead minutes later before a 7-0 run by the Blue Devils gave them their first double-digit cushion of the contest at 32-22. Carolina freshman guard Tyasha Harris connected on a timely 3-pointer from the corner to make it 32-25, and the teams exchanged baskets for the final three minutes of the half. The Gamecocks struck last when Gray collected an offensive rebound and converted an uncontested layup to cut the Duke lead to 36-29 as the teams headed to the locker room.
Gray’s efforts continued to keep Carolina within striking distance in a back-and-forth start to the third quarter. A layup from the guard made it 43-34 Duke, and the teams traded buckets over the next 90 seconds before two three-point plays from the Gamecocks brought Carolina to within five at 45-40. Cuevas-Moore’s entry pass to Wilson led to an and-1 play, and Gray knocked down a shot from beyond the arc on the team’s next trip down the floor. Wilson went on to score each of Carolina’s last three points of the quarter, and the Gamecocks trailed 55-43 after 30 minutes following another strong finish to the quarter by the Blue Devils.
Carolina sported a 33-30 rebound advantage in the game and finished the afternoon with six 3-pointers, five of which came in the second half. The Gamecocks, who tallied 32 points in the paint, shot 42.1 percent from the floor and went 9-of-14 from the line.
GAMECHANGER
After junior guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore’s 3-pointer cut the Duke lead to 66-60 with 1:42 left, the Gamecocks missed their final four shots of the game. All four attempts came from the 3-point line.
KEY STAT
South Carolina made just nine free throws in the loss to the Blue Devils. The Gamecocks entered this weekend ranked first in NCAA Division I with 21.2 made free throws per game.
NOTABLES
- Sunday’s loss snapped Carolina’s two-game winning streak over Duke and marked its first loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Gamecocks are 3-2 all-time in the series.
- Gamecock junior guard Kaela Davis has finished in double figures in each of Carolina’s last five games.
- Junior Allisha Gray’s six assists against the Blue Devils marked a career high for the guard. She has tallied at least five assists in a game twice this season.
- The Gamecocks attempted just 14 free throws on Sunday. Carolina led the nation with 30.0 attempts from the line per game prior to the contest against Duke.
UP NEXT
South Carolina returns to action at Colonial Life Arena on Sun., Dec. 11, when it hosts Minnesota in the first of three-straight home contests. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m. ET, and the contest will air on SEC Network.
