Gamecocks Drop OT Nailbiter to Drake

VANCOUVER, B.C. – For the second time in as many game, No. 13/12 South Carolina women’s basketball mounted a late rally that came up just short. Falling to Drake 90-85 in overtime, the Gamecocks finished the Vancouver Showcase in fourth place out of eight teams despite a sterling 31-point outing from junior guard Te’a Cooper and late-game heroics from senior forward Alexis Jennings.
 
The Gamecocks burst out of the gate to an 11-2 lead behind eight points from Cooper and a 3-pointer from Tyasha Harris in the game’s first three minutes. Drake found its footing in the second half of the period, though, and went on to dominate the second quarter with 84.6 percent field goal shooting in the period to take a 42-36 lead into halftime.
 
South Carolina out-scored the Bulldogs in the third quarter, 19-15, but still lacked the lead and headed into the fourth trailing 57-55. Junior point guard Tyasha Harris took the offense in her own hands early in the third, scoring seven straight to keep the Bulldogs within striking distance.
 
A hard drive to the basket from Cooper yielded a three-point play that made it a three-point game at 68-65 with 4:24 to go in regulation. After Drake split a pair of free throws, Jennings went to work inside, scoring on back-to-back possessions to knot the game at 69-69 less than a minute later. The Bulldogs answered its fifth 3-pointer of the game, but the Gamecocks had found the formula inside, going to Jennings again and then Doniyah Cliney who converted to make it a one-point game at 74-73 with 2:38 to go.
 
Harris picked up a steal that she turned into a layup and a 75-74 lead. The teams traded layups down the stretch with Cliney’s two putting South Carolina back on top 79-77 with 28 seconds to play. The Bulldog elected to go right to the rim, with Brenni Rose scoring a quick layup to tie it up with 20 seconds on the clock. South Carolina called timeout, looking for Jennings inside, but the Bulldog defense kept the ball on the perimeter and forced Cliney into a tough shot at the buzzer.
 
In overtime, Cooper and Harris put South Carolina up 83-79 early only to see a pair of turnovers leave the door open for the Bulldogs, who went ahead on Sara Rhine’s 3-pointer from the top of the key after the Gamecock defense seemed to have broken down the play. Tough shots would not fall for the Gamecocks down the stretch, allowing Drake to close out the victory.
 
Cooper poured in her game-high 31 points on 11-of-21 shooting (.524), including 6-of-8 accuracy in the first half. She added three assists and three steals to her overall effort. Harris finished with 18 points, her highest scoring output since a 20-point outing at #20/19 Georgia on Feb. 15, 2018. Her five steals were one shy of her career high. Cliney finished the game as South Carolina’s top rebounder, pulling down seven.
 
GAMECHANGER
South Carolina was whistled for eight fouls in the fourth quarter, sending the Bulldogs to the free throw line 11 times in the period, including six times in the final 2:00 after the Gamecocks had taken the lead.
 
KEY STAT
Drake shot 55.2 percent from the field for the game, including 7-of-10 in the fourth quarter and 3-of-5 in overtime.
 
NOTABLES

• The Gamecocks’ last overtime game was a 67-65 loss at #25 Texas A&M on Jan. 16, 2014.
• Te’a Cooper’s 17 first-half points were the most by a Gamecock in a half this season. Her 31 points marked the first 30-point game by a Gamecock since A’ja Wilson netted 34 in a loss to #6/6 Notre Dame on Nov. 26, 2017.
• Alexis Jennings averaged 11.0 points and 10.0 rebounds over the last two games since returning to her regular minutes played.
• Drake’s 84-6 percent field goal shooting in the second quarter (11-of-13) was the highest single-quarter percentage by a Gamecock opponent since the NCAA went to that format prior to the 2015-16 season.
• The Bulldogs went to the free throw line 30 times, compared to the Gamecocks’ 17. The last time an opponent attempted at least 10 more free throws than the Gamecocks was Jan. 5, 2017, when Auburn took 15 free throws to South Carolina’s four.

 
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks (3-3) return home for the first of three games at Colonial Life Arena, beginning Wed., Nov. 28, against Dayton.