Furman Falls 94-74 In Season Opener
Shealey Paces Team's Offense, Wake Gets Double-Double

COLUMBIA, S.C. ­ Shaun Gortman scored 23 points, grabbed five rebounds and recorded two steals to lead host South Carolina to a decisive 94-74 win in its season opener over Furman Friday night at the Carolina Coliseum.

The win was Carolina¹s 200th all-time in the Carolina Coliseum, the full-time home of the Lady Gamecocks since the 1974-75 season. USC is 200-87 all-time on its current home floor.

Trailing 32-23 with 5:12 to play in the first half, Carolina overcame a sluggish start to rally behind a 13-2 run to close the first half, erasing the nine-point deficit before the intermission. Kelly Morrone, who set a personal career high with seven assists, hit her only three-point bucket of the night to trim the lead to six before Christina Ciocan scored five straight points. Carolina held a 36-34 edge at the break.

A resilient Furman squad stayed right with Carolina during the first six minutes of the second stanza, trailing 50-45 at the 14:00 mark. Carolina, though, began to convert on fast break opportunities and beat the Furman zone defense, stretching their advantage to 13 with 6:39 to play at 74-61, putting the game out of reach.

Gortman, a senior from Columbia, was 8-of-18 from the floor and 5-of-11 at the line in a dominant performance. Gortman was the key factor in Carolina¹s second half surge, scoring 10 points over an eight-minute stretch in the second half.

Senior Teresa Geter chipped in nine points and eight rebounds while Jocelyn Penn returned to action for the Lady Gamecocks with a 10-point effort. Penn was a redshirt last season.

"I don¹t think our team was pleased with themselves in the first half," said Head Coach Susan Walvius. "We had to make a few adjustments against their zone at the half. You¹ve got to get motivated by your defense, and we did that tonight in the second half."

Furman placed three players in double-figure scoring as Deshara Shealey paced the Lady Paladins with 18 points and five assists. Orion Wake recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Furman will host the 49ers of Charlotte on Monday, November 19, at 7:00 p.m.