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Home > SECWB News & More! > Our Staff & Contributors > Marilyn McManus > Gamecocks’ Season Ends In Raleigh; Wolfpack Surges to 72-69 Win
Gamecocks’ Season Ends In Raleigh; Wolfpack Surges to 72-69 Win
by Marilyn McManus, SECWB.com
Posted: March 26th, 2008 @ 12:44am
Source: View Box Score
It was, perhaps, the cruelest way to lose a game. The two teams sparred for a while, in the first half, then the Gamecocks opened a lead that would grow as high as 14 points. It was enough, anyway, for the Gamecocks fans to smell victory and believe that it was within reach. In the first half, with Jordan Jones on fire, the Gamecocks were able to answer every challenge by the Wolfpack and retain a comfortable lead.
In the second half, the lead began to shrink…but it appeared to stabilize, for some time, at around a 4-point margin. That in itself was remarkable, given that the Gamecocks did not score for the first five minutes of the second half. The 4-point margin held until the final three minutes of the game, when the Wolfpack surge finally resulted in a knockout blow, grabbing a 4-point lead of their own with 1:35 to play. Two foul shots by Ilona Burgrova had the Gamecocks within 2 points only 20 seconds later and the Gamecocks also got the rebound on a missed shot by Shayla Fields, with only 46 seconds left to play. Seconds later, the Gamecocks turned over the ball, then fouled Nikitta Gartrell, resulting in another 4-point lead for the Wolfpack, with only 22 seconds left to play. Brionna Dickerson missed the 3-point attempt on the ensuing possession and the Gamecocks were forced to foul to ensure another possession. By the time they got the ball, the lead was 5 and there were only 8 seconds left. Dickerson hit a 3-point shot with 2 seconds left on the clock, to bring the lead down to 2 points–and the Gamecocks had to foul again. You could have heard a pin drop when Shayla Fields stepped up to the line (in fact, I did clearly hear a fan in another section mutter “you refs stink” and I know nearly everyone in the arena must have heard it, too) but as soon as she hit the first shot, a Wolfpack victory was nearly guaranteed. With only one second left on the clock, Samone Kennedy could only grab the rebound and fling it towards the Gamecock basket in desperation. The ball fell well short and the Wolfpack moved into Round Three of the WNIT championship.
Jordan Jones was the leading scorer of the game, with 27 points on 9-12 shooting, including 7 of 9 from 3-point range. Ilona Burgrova was next, with 12 points (including 6-8 at the free throw line) and 3 rebounds. Demetress Adams led the Gamecocks with 8 rebounds.
It was on the boards that the Wolfpack did much of their damage, out-rebounding the Gamecocks 48-35. The Wolfpack had 23 offensive rebounds–compared to the Gamecocks’ 6–for a lot of second chance looks for points. It was enough to make the difference in the game, despite the Gamecocks out-shooting them from the field (40% v. 35%), the 3-point line (66% v, 35%) and the free throw line (79% v. 62%).
Shayla Fields, Nikitta Gartrell and Kadijah Whittington were in double figures for NC State, with 16, 14 and 11 points, respectively. Whittington also had 15 rebounds in the game, 9 defensive and 6 offensive. Lucy Ellison had 6 rebounds for the Wolfpack, all on the offensive glass.
The South Carolina Gamecocks end their season with a 16-16 record
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