No. 19 Georgia Falls to No. 8 South Carolina, 77-65

Thursday, February 15

Athens, Ga.

7:00 PM

University of Georgia

21-5, 9-4SEC

South Carolina

21-5,10-3SEC

#8 South Carolina

Georgia

Photo by: Steffenie Burns

No. 19 Georgia Falls to No. 8 South Carolina, 77-65

February 15, 2018 | Women's Basketball

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ATHENS, Ga. – A second-half offensive outburst from the eighth-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks overtook the 19^th-ranked Georgia Lady Bulldogs' first half margin in the 77-65 final at Stegeman Coliseum on Thursday night.

Senior forward Mackenzie Engram led Georgia (21-5, 9-4) with the 10^th double-double of her career, combining 11 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and two blocks on the game. Three other Lady Bulldogs also posted double-digit scoring outputs: redshirt sophomore guard Taja Cole (12), junior forward Caliya Robinson (11), freshman guard Que Morrison (11).

"From a game plan standpoint, we executed offensively," Georgia head coach Joni Taylor. "We did what we wanted to do and got some really good looks. Our kids played really hard."

Despite both Georgia and South Carolina (21-5, 10-3) owning top-five league rankings in points allowed entering tonight's contest, the game was the highest-scoring in the series history since 2003. Georgia controlled the ball with only nine turnovers on the game, marking just the second game this season the offense has totaled less than 10. Tonight's game also marked the first contest this season the Lady Bulldogs have led at the half and dropped the final decision.?

In the first quarter, Georgia used 18 points in the paint to score 23 on the Gamecocks, matching the most points scored against a South Carolina opponent in the opening frame this season. Led by Morrison with nine points and three assists, Georgia maintained a stout defensive effort, featuring Engram with three defensive rebounds and a steal.

Knotted at 16 with a little over a minute remaining in the first, senior guard Haley Clark snagged an offensive rebound and found Morrison at the basket for the 18-16 lead. South Carolina's redshirt junior guard Alexis Jenning produced a three-point play to establish the Gamecocks' first lead of the game, but Morrison returned with a 3-pointer. A steal and a layup from Engram was enough to fend off a late South Carolina layup and close the quarter with a 23-22 Georgia margin.

In the second quarter, the two teams traded the one-point advantage back-and-forth until Cole drained a jumper from the wing, fueling a 9-2 Georgia run. The Lady Bulldogs held the Gamecocks without a field goal for 6:34 through the quarter, forcing South Carolina to score its points from the charity line. Trailing one with 26 seconds remaining in the half, freshman guard Maya Caldwell hit a three to send Georgia into intermission with the 37-35 lead, marking only the sixth game South Carolina has trailed at the half.

South Carolina took a 51-35 lead with 2:42 remaining in the third quarter. Freshman guard Gabby Connally chipped away at the Gamecock edge with back-to-back jumpers, and Robinson added a free throw with four seconds remaining in the frame, but the Gamecocks closed the quarter with the 59-50 advantage.

South Carolina continued the surge through the final quarter, opening the frame on an offensive tear, which a 9-2 Georgia run in the closing minutes could not withstand.

Up next, Georgia heads on the road to Oxford, Mississippi to face off with the Ole Miss Rebels on Monday, Feb. 19. In the beginning of February, the Bulldogs topped the Rebels at Stegeman Coliseum 69-45.