Once the buzzer signaled South Carolina's 65-49 loss to visiting No. 24 Georgia on Thursday night at Colonial Life Arena, head coach Dawn Staley took the microphone and addressed the crowd.
After asking the fans to honor Lauren Falohun one last time, Staley thanked the fans for their support and spoke about sticking with the Gamecocks.
"Please stick with us and times like these will be a distant memory," she said as the crowd applauded.
As Staley and the Gamecocks continue to lay the bricks of building this program, growing pains like the recent losing stretch will hopefully turn into lessons for the players.
"We'll take this and hopefully learn some things from it," said junior guard Valerie Nainima. "Hopefully, this will strengthen our bond as a team. We've just got to stay together, stay strong and keep playing hard."
"To remain disciplined, you've got to continue to do what you," said Staley. "You can't just abandon what you've been doing all season."
Few could argue that South Carolina has shown improvement since last season's 2-12 mark in the SEC. The Gamecocks have been in nearly every game they've played this season and have tripled last year's conference win total.
While losses like like Thursday's still sting, the future remains bright for the Gamecocks. South Carolina returns ten players next year from the 2009-2010 squad, including every regular starter. Perhaps times like this will be distant memories sooner rather than later.
Key Box Score
The freshman guard tied her career-high in points with 12 against Georgia tonight. She scored 12 against North Carolina on Dec. 20. Her last double-digit scoring performance came against Mississippi State on Feb. 11.
Key Quote
"We're just struggling to maintain some energy. We're in a rut right now." - Dawn Staley
After asking the fans to honor Lauren Falohun one last time, Staley thanked the fans for their support and spoke about sticking with the Gamecocks.
"Please stick with us and times like these will be a distant memory," she said as the crowd applauded.
As Staley and the Gamecocks continue to lay the bricks of building this program, growing pains like the recent losing stretch will hopefully turn into lessons for the players.
"We'll take this and hopefully learn some things from it," said junior guard Valerie Nainima. "Hopefully, this will strengthen our bond as a team. We've just got to stay together, stay strong and keep playing hard."
"To remain disciplined, you've got to continue to do what you," said Staley. "You can't just abandon what you've been doing all season."
Few could argue that South Carolina has shown improvement since last season's 2-12 mark in the SEC. The Gamecocks have been in nearly every game they've played this season and have tripled last year's conference win total.
While losses like like Thursday's still sting, the future remains bright for the Gamecocks. South Carolina returns ten players next year from the 2009-2010 squad, including every regular starter. Perhaps times like this will be distant memories sooner rather than later.
Key Box Score
| Total FG-FGA | 3 pt FG-FGA | FT-FTA | Rebs | Pts | Assts | TO | Blk | Stl | Min | |
| G Ieasia Walker | 5-13 | 1-5 | 1-2 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 27 |
The freshman guard tied her career-high in points with 12 against Georgia tonight. She scored 12 against North Carolina on Dec. 20. Her last double-digit scoring performance came against Mississippi State on Feb. 11.
Key Quote
"We're just struggling to maintain some energy. We're in a rut right now." - Dawn Staley
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