South Carolina 72, Furman 33
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Markeshia Grant scored 22 points and claimed eight rebounds to power South Carolina past Furman, 72-33, in women’s basketball action Sunday afternoon at Colonial Life Arena.
Grant, who converted 10-of-13 field goals in the contest, including 2-of-4 three-pointers, tallied 14 of the Gamecocks’ first 17 points in helping South Carolina (7-2) grab a commanding early lead on the way to the easy victory, its 11th in the 12 meetings with Furman (5-3).
The 33 points marked Furman’s lowest output since the 1995-96 season.
The Paladins, who turned the ball over on seven of their first 10 possession and 29 times in the game, watched South Carolina grab an early 9-0 lead, which the Gamecocks extended to 17-3 on a Grant 3-pointer eight minutes into the contest. USC led 40-11 at intermission.
Janice Roberts led Furman with nine points. The Paladins shot just 25 percent from the field, connecting on just 11-of-44 shots.
South Carolina converted 28-of-63 field goal attempts (44.4 percent) and racked up 21 steals and 11 blocks.
La’Keisha Sutton followed Grant in the scoring column with 11 points, and Iesia Walker finished with 10 points. Aleighsa Welch matched Grant’s work on the board with eight caroms, helping South Carolina forge a 39-35 rebounding advantage.
Furman returns to action on Saturday when it entertains Elon in Greenville in a 2:00 p.m. game.