Gamecocks Lackluster, Drop First Conference Road Game 65-54

The South Carolina Gamecocks went to Alabama tonight and got off to a horrendous start against the Crimson Tide, falling behind by as much as 17 points in the first half. The Gamecocks couldn’t buy a basket and the Tide was on fire, shooting 69% in the first half. Unfortunately, it was more of the same in the second half, even after South Carolina put on a concerted effort and cut the lead to a mere 3 points. However, they then allowed the Tide to go on a 10-0 run and the game was all but over. The result was a belated Christmas present for the Crimson Tide, who had not won a conference game in nearly 2 years. No doubt, they have taken a step towards erasing the memory of last year’s 60-point slaughter at the hands of the Gamecocks. Most of the current South Carolina team doesn’t remember it, either. Seven new players, this season, will be remembering tonight’s results for a while, though.

Injuries and illness left the Gamecocks with much less depth than they usually enjoy, but that doesn’t explain why the Gamecocks were out-rebounded or kept forcing entry passes into the paint with no chance of completing the pass. The Gamecocks have had a bad habit of starting games with a handful of turnovers and then trying to establish their game, once they have already dug themselves into a hole. Poor shooting was the killer, though. The Gamecocks took more shots than the Tide, but they hit such a poor percentage (36%) and allowed such a high percentage (56%) by Alabama that there was no chance of a favorable outcome. Add to that Crimson Tide shooters on the foul line hitting well above their season averages--and they had a LOT of free throw attempts. For the Gamecocks, it all added up to disaster, even without a lot of turnovers (only 15 this game.)

Ilona Burgrova led the scoring for the Gamecocks with points. Demetress Adams fouled out of the game after scoring10 points. The Gamecocks were out-rebounded 29-35.

The Crimson Tide were led by Camilla Blands with 14 points and Telisha Chandler and Tamara Williams with 13 points apiece.

So, the Gamecocks are 0-1 in the conference, with Tennessee coming to town on Sunday.
The depressing thing about this loss is that it was to the worst team in the conference, last season. The Gamecocks definitely don’t want to assume that position, this season. Jordan Jones, at 100% of capacity, should help. The return of Lakesha Tolliver, out due to a medical condition, will help. Both her contributions on the floor and her generally ebullient personality should boost the team towards bigger and better things. But more important to the Gamecocks is eliminating mistakes and being as aggressive as possible on the boards. A “Plan B” might help, too, as it’s not too hard to predict that they will be passing the ball inside, whether that pass is available or not. I’m not sure why it seems that the Gamecocks grab a lot of rebounds, but then lose them out of bounds. The big girls get their hands on the ball about as much as they need to, but they don’t retain possession often enough.

Is there a bright side? Sure. This is a young team with a lot of talent. They learn something from every game they play. They also seem to have the mental toughness to put aside a loss and move on to try to win the next game. That toughness will be seriously tested with the next game against the # 2 ranked Lady Vols of Tennessee. But it’s time to move on–and Rocky Top is the next stop.

The Tennessee game tips off at 3 pm on Sunday at the Colonial Center.