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Home > SECWB News & More! > SEC Teams > South Carolina > Gamecocks Lose to Auburn, 83-72
Gamecocks Lose to Auburn, 83-72
by Marilyn McManus, SECWB.com
Posted: February 18th, 2008 @ 2:15pm
Source: View Box Score
I spent a good deal of the 5-hour drive from Auburn, Alabama to Columbia, South Carolina wondering how this game slipped away from the South Carolina Gamecocks. I haven’t found the answer, yet. The Gamecocks followed the ideal plan: they outshot the Tigers 49% to 45%. They took more shots: 61-53. They hit more shots: 30-24. They matched them for rebounding, with 34 for each team. They passed well and had more assists, 19-11.They held all-everything forward DeWanna Bonner to 3-13 shooting from the floor. And they still lost by 11 points. Oh, there were clues: the Gamecocks were 0-8 from 3-point range in the second half, but the Tigers weren’t much better at 1-5. They had one less steal, 3 fewer blocked shots and only 4 more turnovers than the Tigers. But what absolutely killed the Gamecocks was the free throw differential. For the game, Auburn went to the line 38 times (count ‘em!)and hit 29 of their shots. That’s 42% of their game points coming from the foul line. The South Carolina team had only 15 free throws and hit only 8 of those shots.
The game was close throughout the first half, with the lead for Auburn ranging from 2-6 points. With about 8 minutes to play in the first half, Auburn managed an 8-2 run that gave them their largest lead at 11 points. However, the Gamecocks came back with a 9-2 run that cut the lead back to 4 points with less than a minute to play. The teams traded 3-point shots (Ebony Jones hit her shot with 1 second left on the clock) to go into halftime with the score 37-33 in Auburn’s favor.
In the second half, the officiating crew decided to get into the action in a BIG way. That tactic was to Auburn’s benefit, as the Tigers went to the line 25 times in the second half to the Gamecocks’ 4 trips to the line. Were these 2 teams playing in the same game? Nevertheless, the Gamecocks still had chances to win this one. Down 7 points with about 6 minutes left, the Gamecocks got tough on defense and managed to disrupt the Tiger offense enough to gain some extra possessions. Unfortunately, the Gamecocks were unable to score on 4 consecutive possessions and that seemed to take the wind out of their sails; the opportunity to close the gap and put pressure on the Tigers was gone. They hung with the Tigers for the rest of the game, but only traded baskets the rest of the way–mostly free throws for the Tigers and barely contested layups for the Gamecocks, as Auburn clamped down defensively on 3-point shooting chances and the South Carolina team took what they gave them.
The Gamecocks were led by the shooting of Demetress Adams, with 17 points and 9 rebounds before fouling out of the game. She was able to play only 27 minutes because of foul trouble. Jordan Jones had 12 points (though only 1-6 from 3-point range) along with 3 steals and 3 assists. Ilona Burgrova had 10 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists for the game. Lakesha Tolliver had 8 points and 4 rebounds in very limited play, hampered by 4 personal fouls.
The Tigers were led by 3 players with 18 points apiece: DeWanna Bonner, Alli Smalley and Sherell Hobbs. 12 of Bonner’s 18 points came from the foul line, where she shot 12-13. Bonner also added 12 rebounds for the Tigers. Tamela McCorvey added 15 points for Auburn, on 3-5 3-point shooting.
This game was a tough one for South Carolina. They came in to an opponent’s home court and played very well, for the most part, well enough to give themselves chances to win. They did a pretty good job of limiting the silly mistakes that give an opponent the edge in a close game–though there are still too many turnovers being committed. They played with a great deal of confidence. They never gave up, never got a break, and they still were in a position to make their move with 6 minutes left to play. Despite the tough loss, these are positive signs. The young players that dominate the roster are getting a lot of experience and making a lot of progress.
At 2-8 in SEC play, the Gamecocks are pretty much out of NCAA Tournament possibilities. A sweep of the remainder of the schedule and 2 SEC tournament wins might sway the Selection Committee, but that seems a bit unlikely. On the other hand, winning at least 2 more regular season games and an opening round SEC tournament game might give Carolina a shot at the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. That would also provide the team with some valuable experience to build on next season.
Carolina’s next game is against Mississippi State, Thursday night, at the Colonial Center in Columbia, SC. Tipoff is at 7 pm.
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