Box Score BOX SCORE

Sophomore Shamia Brown scored 14 points and junior Amy Dodd provided an all-around effort of nine points, three rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block as the High Point University women's basketball team pushed the University of South Carolina before falling 70-52 Wednesday afternoon in Columbia, S.C.

“We can take a lot of good things form this game,” said head coach Tooey Loy. “South Carolina is a team that beat a top-25 team its last time out and we had a great chance today. We had it within six midway through the second half and we just needed a couple breaks that we didn't get. We played good basketball and had a good chance to knock off a very good team. We are getting better and this is a step in the right direction for us.”

The Panthers trailed USC by just three, 30-27, at halftime after a back-and-forth opening 20 minutes which saw six ties and three lead changes.

HPU jumped out to an early 4-1 lead on layups by senior Ashlee' Samuels and Dodd before USC used its press to score seven straight points on three High Point turnovers, taking an 8-4 lead. After an HPU timeout, a jumper by junior LaTeisha Dean and layups by Samuels and Dodd tied the game at 10 with just over 14 minutes left in the first half.

High Point finally managed to take back the lead when a jumper by Dean put High Point ahead, 20-18, with 8:46 remaining in the first half but the Gamecocks outscored High Point, 12-7 in the final eight minutes of the half to take a three-point lead into the half.

The Gamecock's Kelsey Bone led all scorers with nine points at the break. Brown led the way for HPU with seven. After shooting 10-16 to start the game, High Point was held to 3-15 shooting in the final eight minutes of the half.

South Carolina opened the second half on an 8-0 run to open an 11-point lead, 38-27 but the Panthers fought back, using a 5-0 run on a Dodd layup and an old-fashioned three point play by Brown to pull to within six, 44-38 with 11 minutes left in the game

The Panthers were unable to pull closer to six though as the Gamecocks slowly pulled away in the final ten minutes, outscoring the Panthers, 22-12, down the stretch to pick up the win.

Dean added 11 points and two steals for HPU and Samuels finished the contest with eight points and four rebounds.

Valerie Nainima led all scorers for South Carolina with 20 points while Samone Kennedy added 14 points and Bone finished with 13 points and nine rebounds

HPU drops to 2-3 on the season with the loss while USC improves to 4-3.

High Point will continue its four-game road trip on Friday, Dec. 4, when the team will travel to Fairfax, Va., to play George Mason University. Game time against the Patriots is scheduled for 7 p.m.