Dec. 17, 2017
#4/5 South Carolina 99, Savannah State 38
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – A’ja Wilson scored 26 points and No. 4 South Carolina, which began the game with just nine players and then lost another, beat Savannah State 99-38 Sunday.
The Gamecocks (10-1) announced before the game that senior point guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore will miss the season with an ACL injury. She hadn’t played this season, but was said to be recovering.
Senior guard Lindsey Spann missed her fourth straight game with a knee injury and Te’a Cooper remained out while appealing to the NCAA for a hardship waiver. The Gamecocks lost junior guard Doniyah Cliney to a foot injury in the first half.
Point guard Ty Harris, not starting for the first time all season as coach Dawn Staley tried out a bigger lineup, had 14 points and 12 assists. Mikiah Herbert Harrigan scored 17 while Alexis Jennings posted another double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Donasja Scott had 17 points for Savannah State (2-7).
QUOTABLE Dawn Staley
On moving into a tie for first on the program’s all-time wins list
“I came here 10 years ago to turn the program around and win the national championship. That got dome with some incredible people: coaches, players and the community. I think it’s a tribute to what everybody has contributed to our program.”
NOTABLE
- Dawn Staley moved into a tie with Nancy Wilson for the most coaching wins (231) in program history following the victory over the Lady Tigers.
- The Gamecocks improved to 10-0 all-time against the Lady Tigers with Sunday’s win. All 10 victories have come by at least 30 points.
- Savannah State finished the game 0-of-6 from beyond the arc, becoming the first Gamecock opponent this season to fail to covert a 3-point field goal.
- With her layup midway through the first quarter, A’ja Wilson moved into fifth place on Carolina’s all-time scoring list. The senior forward’s 1,908 career points are 31 shy of fourth place.
- Sophomore guard Tyasha Harris totaled 14 points and a career-high 12 assists en route to her second double-double of the season. She is one of three Gamecocks with multiple double-doubles on the year.
GAMECHANGER
The Gamecocks closed the second quarter on a 22-5 run to turn a 15-point lead into a 56-23 advantage at the half. Savannah State was held scoreless for the final 3:15 of the period, while A’ja Wilson led Carolina with eight points during the stretch.
KEY STAT
Defense led to offense early for Carolina, which produced nine of its first 11 points off turnovers. The Gamecocks finished the contest with 36 points off 27 Savannah State turnovers.
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks return to action on Thu., Dec. 21, when they face Temple on the road in Philadelphia. Tipoff from Liacouras Center is slated for 7 p.m. ET, and the contest can be seen online through ESPN3.
