Feb. 16, 2017
The Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Kaela Davis and Alaina Coates each scored 15 points to help No. 6 South Carolina beat Vanderbilt 82-51 on Thursday night.
A’ja Wilson added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Gamecocks, who rebounded from Monday’s loss to top-ranked UConn by defeating Vanderbilt for the eighth consecutive time.
Christa Reed finished with 11 points and Minta Spears had 10 for Vanderbilt. Marqu’es Webb had 12 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
South Carolina (22-3, 12-1) outscored Vanderbilt 50-10 in the paint. The Commodores (12-14, 2-11) had 20 turnovers and made 12 shots from the field — the second time in SEC play a team has had fewer field goals than turnovers against South Carolina.
The Commodores, who were facing a ranked opponent for the third time in four games, shot just 22.6 percent from the floor and were limited to 12 field goals for the game (finishing 12-of-53). Vanderbilt was just 4-of-18 from 3-point range, but went 23-of-28 from the foul line.
The Gamecocks never trailed in the game. They opened the first quarter on a 20-3 run, and led 23-6 at the end of the period. The Commodores had 10 turnovers and attempted just 10 shots in the first 10 minutes, and were outscored 16-0 in the paint during the quarter.
Vanderbilt climbed back into the game by putting together an 11-2 run early in the second quarter to trim South Carolina’s lead to 27-17. The surge started with a pair of free throws by LeaLea Carter and was capped by a jumper from Spears at the 5:31 mark of the quarter.
South Carolina, however, answered back with a 12-2 spurt — which began with a jumper by Davis and ended with a 3-pointer by Bianca Cuevas-Moore — to rebuild a 20-point lead, 39-19, with 2:17 to play in the first half. Vanderbilt never got closer than 18 points the rest of the way.
THE BIG PICTURE
Vanderbilt: After losing their first seven SEC games under new coach Stephanie White, the Commodores had won two of their last five before running into South Carolina. … Vanderbilt will need to win at least two of its final three games to avoid playing on the opening day of the 14-team SEC tournament for the third straight season.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks can still win at least a share of their fourth SEC regular season title in a row by winning their final three SEC games. But that’s not an easy task. South Carolina finishes the season at Missouri, at Texas A&M and hosting Kentucky — three of the SEC’s five best teams.
UP NEXT
Vanderbilt: The Commodores host Mississippi on Sunday.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks head to Missouri on Sunday.
