Jan. 10, 2013
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team saw its nine-game win streak snapped on the road at No. 18/16 South Carolina, 64-48. The Commodores fell to 12-4, 2-1 in SEC play, while the Gamecocks improved to 14-2, 2-1 in league action.
The highlight of the night for the Black and Gold came with 10:10 to play when junior Christina Foggie became the 35th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. Foggie finished the night with nine points and seven rebounds.
Heather Bowe and Jasmine Lister each scored 11 to lead the Commodores. Lister added eight assists. Tiffany Clarke scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds, while Elan Brown contributed seven points.
South Carolina was led by 13 points from Aleighsa Welch. The Gamecocks also got 12 points and five assists from Ieasia Walker. Ashley Bruner and Elem Ibiam each added nine. Sancheon White led the Gamecocks with eight rebounds. USC outscored Vanderbilt in the paint, 36-20.
“Even when we did have a good look or good shot, you have to make it,” Vanderbilt Head Coach Melanie Balcomb said. “And then when you don’t make it, you have to offensive rebound. Our lack of offensive rebounding was exposed again tonight.”
Balcomb was also not pleased with her team’s frustrating showing on the floor.
“We went back to our frustrating showing,” the coach explained. “It was something uncharacteristic, more like where we were in the beginning of the season. We had to bring them back together as a team and we made a few runs.”
She was also quick to credit South Carolina.
“We haven’t seen that defense all year,” Balcomb said. “You want to put your team in situations (to prepare) and nobody plays defense like that.”
South Carolina’s defense stifled the Commodores in the first half, holding Vanderbilt to 4-of-20 shooting and forcing 10 turnovers. Vanderbilt did not hit a field goal in the final 7:07 of the period and trailed, 36-20, at the break.
Foul trouble was also a first-half issue, as Clarke and Bowe both had two fouls with seven minutes left in the half. That showed in the post, as the Gamecocks outscored Vanderbilt, 24-6, in the paint in the opening frame.
Vanderbilt slowly chipped away at the lead in the second half, cutting it to 47-37 on a pair of Bowe free throws. They would cut it to 10 again, 55-45, with 2:23 to play before a Mitchell layup pushed the lead back to 12. That would be as close as the Commodores would get before falling.
Commodore defense kept the second period closer, as they held South Carolina to 38.5% shooting in the period. Vanderbilt also forced 11 USC turnovers in the period.
The Commodores are back in action on Sunday, January 13, when they host Arkansas at 2:00 p.m. It marks the annual Jam the Gym contest at Memorial Gym, with all tickets costing just one dollar. For more information, click here.
