No. 10 Gamecocks Bounce Back, Beat Vandy 95-82
Jan. 18, 2018
#10/10 South Carolina 95, Vanderbilt 82
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Alexis Jennings scored a season-high 27 points and 10th-ranked South Carolina beat Vanderbilt 95-82 Thursday night despite the banged-up Gamecocks’ injury list growing longer.
The Gamecocks (15-3, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) again played without two-time SEC player of the year A’ja Wilson , who has a sprained right ankle, and minus her backup Mikiah Herbert-Harrigan, out with a bone bruise in her left knee.
Senior guard Lindsey Spann hit 5 of 7 3-pointers before hurting a knee with 7:16 left in the third quarter and going to the locker room. Then guard Tyasha Harris, the SEC’s assists leader, went down with 4:33 left in the third after hurting her right leg and having to be helped off the court. Spann returned for the fourth quarter, Harris didn’t return.
South Carolina, coming off an 86-70 loss on their own court to Tennessee, has not dropped back-to-back games since February 2013, and improved to 19-1 coming off a loss over the last six seasons.
LeLe Grissett added 22 points for the Gamecocks, Spann finished with 17, Harris had 12 and Doniyah Cliney 10.
Erin Whalen scored a career-high 25 points for Vanderbilt (5-15, 1-5). Christa Reed added 23, and Cierra Walker 13.
Spann opened the game with a 3-pointer, and South Carolina never trailed. The Gamecocks led 22-18 after the first quarter and were up by as much as 16 before going into halftime up 48-40.
Coming off their first SEC win this season, the Commodores used a 9-2 run to pull within two a couple times late in the third on buckets by Kayla Overbeck. The second pulled Vandy within 64-62 with 1:57 left before the Gamecocks scored the next nine for a 73-62 lead at the end of the quarter capped by Jennings’ 3 to beat the buzzer.
The Gamecocks led by as much as 14 in the fourth quarter.
NOTABLE
- The Gamecocks shot a season-high 66.7 percent (36-of-54) from the floor in the win.
- South Carolina improved to 3-0 this season following losses with its victory over Vanderbilt.
- Thursday marked the third time this season two Gamecocks (Alexis Jennings — 27; LeLe Grissett — 22) finished with at least 20 points in game.
- Carolina’s LeLe Grissett netted a career-high 22 points against Vanderbilt. The freshman forward has averaged 11.7 points on 83.3 percent (15-of-18) shooting over her last three games.
- Gamecock redshirt junior Alexis Jennings totaled a season-high 27 points to go with 13 boards. She joins senior A’ja Wilson as the second Carolina player this season to boast a game with at least 25 points and 10 rebounds.
GAMECHANGER
The Gamecocks closed the third quarter on a 9-0 run to turn a one-possession game into a 73-62 lead following the period. Four Carolina players registered a field goal during the stretch that concluded with an Alexis Jennings‘ 3-pointer at the buzzer.
KEY STAT
The bulk of the Gamecock offense came down low through the efforts of Alexis Jennings and LeLe Grissett, who combined to shoot 90.9 percent (20-of-22) from the floor. Carolina tallied its second-most points in the paint (56) of the season in the win over the Commodores.
UP NEXT
Carolina returns to action this weekend when it faces Kentucky on the road on Sun., Jan. 21. Tipoff is scheduled for noon ET, and the contest will air on ESPNU.
