#5 South Carolina defeats Georgia 62-44 to sweep season series

For the second time this season, the South Carolina Gamecocks found themselves in a battle with the Georgia Bulldogs. But after holding a slim 36-30 lead after the third quarter, the Gamecocks exploded with a 26-point fourth to put away the Dawgs, 62-44, and sweep the regular season series.

Neither team could get much of an edge in the first half as points were at a premium, and despite the Gamecocks holding Georgia to just 15 points in the first two frames, they only managed 33 of their own as they made just eight field goals and shot a tepid 25% from the floor (1-9 from three point range). The shots still weren’t falling out of the locker room in the third quarter (just 3-11), opening the door for the Dawgs to draw within 36-30 with 10 minutes remaining. But the Gamecocks would have none of it. They made nine of the fourteen shots they attempted in the fourth, two more makes than in the first three quarters combined, to put together a 26-point quarter and turn a six-point lead into a more comfortable 18-point win.

A’ja Wilson and Allisha Gray led the way for South Carolina this evening. Gray scored seven points and Wilson was good for six in the first half, but both exploded in the second half to help the Gamecocks’ cause. Gray was a perfect 5-5 from the floor in the final 20 minutes (including a three) as she finished with 18; Wilson ended the night with a game-high nineteen thanks to a 7-12 performance from the stripe down the stretch. Alaina Coates ended the night with 13 rebounds but was held to just a single point this evening as she missed all five of her shots.

The Gamecocks host the Tennessee Lady Vols in their next game at Colonial Life Arena. Tipoff is set for 6pm for the ESPN2 Big Monday contest.