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Home > SECWB News & More! > Our Staff & Contributors > Marilyn McManus > Gamecocks Drop A Heartbreaker to MSU Bulldogs, 54-58
Gamecocks Drop A Heartbreaker to MSU Bulldogs, 54-58
by Marilyn McManus, SECWB.com
Posted: February 22nd, 2008 @ 3:42am
Source: View Box Score
The Gamecocks fell into an old familiar pattern of play tonight, but the results were not as good as they sometimes have been. Mississippi State came out aggressively, as expected, and stayed aggressive throughout the game. Their consistent effort found them leading by as much as 12 points in the first half, before the Gamecocks buckled down and charged back into the game. The MSU lead, at the half, was 4 points: 32-28.
In the second half, the Gamecocks came out energized and manufactured a 7-0 run to take the lead and re-establish themselves in the game. The second half was much tighter than the first, with the largest lead by either team being 5 points. However, the Bulldogs seemed to play with the same speed and intensity for the entire 40 minute game, while the Gamecocks faltered from time to time. The Bulldogs took the ball aggressively to the basket, playing as if it was unthinkable that they might miss a shot. That attitude was assisted by a laissez-faire policy on officiating tonight–a HUGE contrast from the last game, at Auburn– that rewarded more aggressive play, as anything short of an elbow to the neck was pretty much overlooked. No touch fouls tonight, thank you very much. The action in the paint was brutal and the lack of attention to it, in my opinion, had a negative effect on the game and players. On one possession, the usually calm Demetress Adams was being held and pushed by her defender. She threw what seemed to me (about 11 rows away) to be a rather blatant elbow to back up the defender–it went completely unnoticed by the officials on the floor. Unfortunately, she also missed the shot on that play. But that exchange was fairly typical, in this game, and Adams only got a foul call when her elbow did make contact with her defender’s neck. I guess we should be comforted by the fact that the Gang of Three (Dee Kantner, Eddie Novak and Ed Sidlasky) was at least focused on preventing head and neck injuries.
The Gamecocks were still in the game, right up until they allowed a basket, with 13 seconds left, that increased the lead from 2 to 4 points. The Bulldogs took the winning shot with 1 second remaining on the shot clock, leaving the Gamecocks with very little time (and few options) for the final possession. It was that kind of precision execution, along with stubborn determination, that allowed the Bulldogs to win the game. Their formula consisted of an Energizer Bunny offensive attack and defensive intensity, fewer mistakes and a simple refusal to back down.
Jordan Jones and Demetress Adams led the Gamecocks in scoring with 12 points apiece, followed by Lakesha Tolliver with 10 points. Adams also led the team in rebounding with 8, along with 2 blocked shots and 5 assists for the game. Ilona Burgrova turned in another typical solid effort, with 9 points (3-4 from the floor and 3-4 from the line) and 6 rebounds, along with 3 assists and 2 steals. Quite an accomplishment, considering how much time she spent picking herself up off of the floor.
The Bulldogs were led by Marneshia Richard with 20 points, Alexis Rack with 11 and Robin Porter with 10. Richard also had 6 steals and 5 assists for the Bulldogs.
The Gamecocks travel to Gainesville, Florida for a Sunday afternoon matchup with the Gators. Tipoff is at 1 pm ET.
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