University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Thursday, December 18
Columbia, S.C.
N/A
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
59
at
72
South Carolina
Cajuns Fall to Gamecocks in Columbia
12/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
COLUMBIA, SC-Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns played much better than their previous outing, losing a hard-fought 72-59 decision at South Carolina on Thursday night in Columbia. South Carolina shot 64 percent from behind the arc in the first half en route to a 10-point lead after 20 minutes. Anna Petrakova scored seven points in the first 5:13 of the second half to help keep the Cajuns deficit at 10. The Gamecocks made two of their first three shots from long distance to begin the second half, helping extend their lead over the Cajuns to 14 points with 11:39 left in the contest. From that point, the Cajuns were never able to cut the hosts' lead to less than nine points. With Petrakova picking-up her fourth personal foul at the 8:47 mark, the Gamecocks pounded the ball inside. SC scored their next five baskets in the paint. The Gamecocks lead grew as large as 19 points, 63-44, with 5:49 remaining, but the Cajuns made a 12-2 run to close the gap to nine points. A three-pointer by Sarah Burgess was answered by Sharee Glenn as the hosts' lead remained at nine with 1:21 left in the game. The next two possessions saw baskets from Olga Gritsaeva to dash any hopes of a Cajuns comeback. Petrakova led the Cajuns with 26 points. Tiffany Washington registered her second double-double of the season with 17 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. SC had three players in double figures, led by 15 points from Morrone. Cristina Ciocan and Larissa Kulcsar each added 13 points. Petrakova bested her Russian Junior National Teammate Gritsaeve, who was held to nine points and four rebounds, well below her season average of 13.5 points and 9.3 rebounds. Petrakova's lone block, came at the expense of Gritsaeve, at the 18:28 mark of the second half. The Cajuns trailed 8-7 at the 15:25 mark of the first half after a Ciocan three-pointer put the Gamecocks back in front. The Cajuns made more baskets at that point then they had made at South Carolina in the first half of last season's meeting. The teams were knotted at 11-11 with 11:30 remaining in the first half until the Cajuns used a pair of baskets from Petrakova and a three-pointer from Washington to take an 18-14 lead at the 7:30 mark. The Gamecocks responded with 13-0 run to take a 27-18 lead with two minutes remaining in the opening period. Three triples by Morrone ignited the outburst. Following a free throw by Washington, the hosts poured in five more points, but a long three-pointer at the buzzer by Petrakova pulled the Cajuns to within 32-22 at the break. |
-Ragin' Cajuns-
Tuesday, September 08
Monday, September 07
Monday, September 07
Monday, September 07
