COLUMBIA, S.C. – The 16th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks used a strong third quarter to down the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team, 80-69, Monday night at Colonial Life Arena.
The Commodores led 40-38 going into the locker room. But, the Gamecocks came out hot, outscoring Vanderbilt 23-to-10 in the third quarter on a 67 percent shooting clip. The Dores shot a game-low 31 percent in the stanza.
The run put the Gamecocks on top 61-50. The deficit proved to be insurmountable for the Commodores.
LeaLea Carter led all players with 20 points, her second consecutive 20-point game. Mariella Fasoula collected her 15th consecutive double-digit game with 16. Cierra Walker rounded out the Commodores in double-digits with 14. The junior was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Chelsie Hall netted five points in the game to eclipse the 500 career points mark.
Vanderbilt shot 100 percent from the stripe, while shooting 55 percent from three. The Commodores held the Gamecocks to just 27 percent from beyond the arc.
South Carolina forced 19 turnovers and converted them into 20 points.
With the loss, the Commodores fall to 6-14 on the season with a 1-6 mark in SEC play while the Gamecocks improve to 14-5 (6-1 SEC).
Vanderbilt will be back in action on Thursday at Texas A&M. The tilt is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.
