COLUMBIA, S.C. - Appalachian State University women's basketball fell to No. 22/24 South Carolina, 80-50, on Wednesday afternoon in Colonial Life Arena.
Lainey Gosnell and
Madi Story posted a team-high 11 points, while Gosnell led the way with five rebounds.
Tierra Wilson shot 3-of-6 en route to eight points and
Ashley Polacek rounded out the leading scorers with seven points and a team-high three assists.Â
The Mountaineers couldn't answer an early barrage of 3-pointers by the Gamecocks, who came into the game shooting 30 percent from outside the arc and shot 14-28 from 3-point land.
Early in the contest, the Gamecocks started out on a 10-1 run before five straight points by Wilson cut the lead to just four, 10-6. Story later answered a USC trey with a corner trifecta of her own to bring
a 10-point deficit to seven. That was the closest South Carolina would let the upset-minded Mountaineers come to, finishing the period on a 9-4 run to take a 27-15 lead.Â
App wouldn't threaten a South Carolina team that is 30-6 over the past three seasons in Colonial Life. However, App committed a season-low 10 turnovers after opponents were averaging 19.9 turnovers per game against South Carolina. The Apps showed fight as they would outscore the Gamecocks in the final frame, 11-5. It was the lowest-scoring quarter since the change to quarters were made.  In addition, after USC went 12-of-18 from deep in the first half, the Black and Gold held South Carolina to 2-for-10 in the second stanza.Â
Appalachian held the hosts to just 2-of-15 shooting from the floor while forcing South Carolina into 16 turnovers. The Gamecocks came into the game averaging just 13 miscues per game.Â
App will have an extended break before hosting Wofford on Monday, Dec.17 at 6:30 p.m. in the Holmes Center.Â
