Gamecocks Rip Down 65-60 OT Win at #25/22 Vanderbilt
NASHVILLE
– South Carolina needed extra time but held off a charging No. 25/22
Vanderbilt team to score a 65-60 victory Sunday afternoon at Memorial
Gymnasium. The Gamecocks (15-5, 4-3 SEC) snapped a three-game losing
streak with what had previously delivered a seven-game win streak –
stingy, disciplined defense, aggressive offense and gutty plays when
they counted most. Senior La’Keisha Sutton finished with 20 points,
including a career-high four 3-pointers, and five of the team’s nine
points in overtime.
The second half of the game was in fits and
starts for both teams. The Commodores came out strong on the glass in
the second half and closed within one just five minutes into the
period. South Carolina’s forwards went to work with Ashley Bruner
hitting 1-of-2 from the free throw line then adding a bucket off a hard
Sutton drive to stretch the lead back to six points at 41-35 with 11:45
to play. Four aggressive points from Sutton, a traditional three-point
play from Aleighsa Welch and another 3-pointer from Markeshia Grant
gave the Gamecocks a 51-42 cushion, their largest of the game, with
5:56 to go.
The Commodores were not finished, though, putting
together a 12-6 run that brought them within a basket of the Gamecocks,
with five of those 12 points coming at the free throw line. Jasmine
Lister’s pair closed the gap to 54-52 with 3:46 to play. South Carolina
was called for an offensive foul on its next possession, but the
defense answered with a Welch block to stop Christina Foggie’s driving
layup. The Commodores picked up a steal on the other end, but Ieasia
Walker sprinted back to swat away what looked like an easy transition
jumper from Foggie. The Gamecocks quickly turned that defense into
offense as Walker snagged the rebound and found Sutton for a transition
layup to stretch the lead back to four points with 2:25 to play.
Stephanie
Holzer put back a missed 3-pointer to cut the lead in half, and the
Gamecocks could not connect on the other end. Foggie’s free throws with
24 seconds to play knotted the game at 56-56. South Carolina set up for
a final play, but could not get a shot off against strong interior
defense by Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks defended the turnover, however,
and sent the game into overtime.
In the extra period, Sutton
took command immediately with her career-high fourth 3-pointer of the
night. Vanderbilt answered with a traditional three-point play on the
other end, but Sutton did not let up, delivering a pair of free throws
for a 61-59 South Carolina lead. Both teams came up empty on their next
possessions, but Tiffany Clarke hit a free throw on the next trip up
the floor to cut the lead in half with 2:53 to play. After Grant buried
a pair of free throws, neither team could find a rhythm on offense as
defense took over. For the Gamecocks, Welch helped put the game away
with a huge rebound on either end to maintain the lead. From there,
South Carolina hit just enough free throws and played lock down
defense, including Walker who drew an offensive foul from Stephanie
Holzer after getting caught on the block with the Commodores’ forward
with less than 30 seconds to play.
The Gamecock offense was not
efficient early, but 3-point shooting from Sutton and Grant helped
South Carolina stay within striking distance of the Commodores through
the first 12 minutes. In the final eight minutes, the tide changed in
favor of the Gamecocks.
South Carolina closed the first half
with a 16-2 run as the defense routinely forced the Commodores to take
tough shots at the end of the shot clock. On the other end of the
floor, the forwards started the run as Charenee Stephens hit from the
left block and Welch added the next three points on the next two
possessions to pull within 19-16 with 5:05 left in the half. Vandy put
back an offensive rebound to briefly interrupt the run, but the
Gamecock defense did not allow anything else in the half. Walker hit a
pair of free throws, and Sancheon White drained a 3-pointer from the
left sideline to tie the game at 21-12 with 2:37 left before halftime.
A pair of Vanderbilt turnovers led to a traditional three-point play
from Stephens and a buzzer-beating deep 3-pointer from Sutton, which
sent the team to the locker rooms with a 27-21 Gamecock advantage.
Welch
and Grant joined Sutton in double figures with 11 and 10 points,
respectively. Welch’s nine rebounds led the team as did Sutton’s six
assists. The Gamecocks committed just 14 turnovers while handing out 14
assists and blocking seven shots. For the second time in as many
meetings, South Carolina held the nation’s most prolific 3-point
shooting team well below its average as the Commodores hit just 3-of-17
from beyond the arc.
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