Valerie Nainima’s outside game will be key in the first round of tournament play.
Kelsey Bone is an inside threat on both ends of the floor.By Hope Todd
Posted 2:23 PM March, 16, 2010
The Lady Gamecocks (14-14, 7-9 SEC) finished regular season play by upsetting Vanderbilt (20-9, 9-7 SEC) Sunday. The win broke a 4-game losing streak and ended an up and down season.
The Gamecocks started the season off with a 7-5 record, but after entering conference play failed to seal wins in some close games, losing eight out of 14 games by less than ten points.
The Lady Gamecocks will need to bring their inside-outside game to the court to be successful in the first round of the SEC Tournament against Ole Miss (16-13, 7-9 SEC), says Head Coach Dawn Staley.
Freshman Center Kelsey Bone will need to dominate the paint, says Head Coach Staley. She averages 13.8 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game. Outside scoring will be on the shoulders of junior Guard Valerie Nainima, who led scoring in seventeen games this season.
Capitalizing on turnovers will keep the Lady Gamecocks ahead on the scoreboard. They have struggled this season when opponents have scored more points off of turnovers.
The Gamecocks will have to shut down SEC leading scorer Ole Miss Guard Bianca Thomas to seal the win for the second time this season.
The 2010 SEC Women's Tournament begins Thursday in Duluth, GA. The #8 seed Gamecocks and #9 seed Rebels will tip off at noon on FSN.
