No. 1 South Carolina Holds On in Paris: Gamecocks Beat Maryland 101-93 After a 31-Point Lead Nearly Slips Away
The season opened in Paris with a scare for the favorites. South Carolina led Maryland by 31 in the third quarter and by 28 at the half - then watched Addi Mack score 31 of her 35 points after halftime to drag the Terrapins within six. The Gamecocks closed it out, 101-93.
HOUSTON - South Carolina opened its season the way No. 1 teams are supposed to - and then had to survive it. The Gamecocks beat Maryland 101-93 on Monday at Adidas Arena in Paris, in a final verified on the match record read by this desk, after building a 33-14 first quarter and a 61-33 halftime lead.
The lead peaked at 31 points, at the 9:34 mark of the third quarter, according to the Greenville News' report. From there the game turned. Maryland outscored South Carolina 60-40 in the second half - 26-17 in the third quarter and 34-23 in the fourth - behind sophomore guard Addi Mack, who scored a career-high 35 points, 31 of them after halftime, on 14-for-20 shooting with six 3-pointers and six assists, 247Sports reported. All five Maryland starters finished in double figures, and the Terrapins cut the margin to six in the final minute.
South Carolina's cushion was built early enough to hold. Joyce Edwards scored 13 points in the second quarter as the Gamecocks closed the half on a run that stretched the lead to 28, and the early burst - 33 points in the first ten minutes - proved to be the game's deciding margin.
The Gamecocks (1-0) next play No. 11 North Carolina in Charlotte on Nov. 8, on ESPN. Maryland (0-1) goes home with the loss and the day's loudest individual performance - the rare opener where the losing team's guard outscored the story.
