Women's Basketball Fall in SEC Showdown to No. 13 South Carolina, 66-57 1/16/03

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Even though it was only Vanderbilt's second Southeastern Conference game this season, there might not have been a more important one as Thursday's game against No. 13-ranked South Carolina. With the Commodores already standing at 0-1 in the conference, they couldn't afford a loss to the Gamecocks. Unfortunately, a late second half surge by the Gamecocks gave them a 66-57 victory over the Commodores.

With the loss, Vanderbilt falls to 10-5 overall and 0-2 in the SEC, while South Carolina moves to 14-2 and 2-1 in the conference.

One of the big stories of the game was South Carolina's play down the stretch, as with the score tied at 53 with a little less than three minutes remaining, they went on a 13-4 run to close the game. Another story was the play of forward Jocelyn Penn, who finished the contest with a game high 27 points, 21 in the second half, on an incredible 11-of-12 shooting from the field. She also finished with eight rebounds and five assists.

In an evenly matched first half, neither team was able to grab the momentum. The Gamecocks held the largest lead of the half, which was four points (27-23). However, the Commodores went into the locker room with a slim 29-27 lead.

Vanderbilt seniors Chantelle Anderson and Ashley McElhiney both finished the first half with eight points apiece. Anderson went 4-of-5 from the field, while McElhiney made two three-point field goals. Both teams did not shoot well in the first half, as Vanderbilt shot 39 percent, while South Carolina was only 36 percent.

The game continued to be see-saw affair throughout the second half until South Carolina pulled away late in the game. Prior to the game being tied at 53, the largest lead of the second half was Vanderbilt 31-27 less than a minute into the half. There were 10 lead changes through the first 13 minutes of the second half.

While Vanderbilt finished with 18 turnovers compared to South Carolina's 21, the Gamecocks scored 29 points off of those turnovers. The Commodores were only able to score 14 points off of the Gamecocks' mistakes.

Anderson finished as Vanderbilt's leading scorer, as she turned in 20 poiints on 9-of-12 shooting. McElhiney chipped in with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists.

South Carolina guard Kelly Morrone was the only player besides Penn to score in double figures, as she finished with 14 points and six assists.

The Commodores will look for their first SEC win when they return to action at 2 p.m. Sunday against SEC rival Kentucky at Memorial Gymnasium. It will be the second of three-straight home contests for Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt has won the last four meeting with Kentucky.