The Daily Gamecock

Walker records 1,000th career point

Walker (2) says she was wondering whether she would ever reach the 1,000 point mark, which she did with a 3-pointer to give USC its last lead of the game against LSU.
Walker (2) says she was wondering whether she would ever reach the 1,000 point mark, which she did with a 3-pointer to give USC its last lead of the game against LSU.

Senior point guard leads Gamecocks to 66-59 victory over LSU

 

South Carolina senior point guard Ieasia Walker was wondering when her 1,000th career point as a Gamecock would happen. Coach Dawn Staley had forgotten about it.

Staley remembered after the Gamecocks’ 66-59 win over Louisiana State in which USC “needed every single one of [Walker’s] points” for the victory, Staley said.

With the game tied at 50, Walker’s 1,000th point came on a 3-pointer that gave USC its last lead of the night. At the next timeout, her milestone was announced.

“I was thinking about it a while back because one of my friends got theirs, so I was like, I wonder how close I am, so when I heard it, I was smiling, but I was trying to stay focused in the game as well,” Walker said. “My teammates were excited and that made me excited, but I tried to stay focused in the game.”

Walker was a bright spot for the Gamecocks (15-3, 3-2), as they continued to struggle offensively, going 23-of-62 from the field. Walker had four of the team’s five 3-pointers and was 9-of-16 from the field.

After the Gamecocks lost at Georgia, 40-42, Staley said Walker took the “loss to heart” and went straight to the gym to take some shots after the team got off the bus. Throughout the week, USC worked on opening up the floor for her so she could “go to work,” Staley said.

After struggling to get out of scoring droughts against Georgia, Walker was the team’s slump buster. After getting out to a 19-9 lead, LSU (11-7, 2-3) went on a seven-point run before a Walker 3-pointer ended the streak.

“Ieasia took it upon herself to take the shot,” Staley said. “She was confident. She was in the flow. She pretty much carried us.”

Trailing with nine minutes left in the game, Walker made a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to reclaim the lead. Defensively, she got a steal on the next possession to feed the ball to forward Ashley Bruner in transition, but Bruner missed the layup.

Despite poor shooting percentage, four out of USC’s five starters had double figures, which Staley said should provide the team some confidence on the offense before it travels to Florida on Sunday.

Sophomore Aleighsa Welch finished second in scoring with 14 points while senior Ashley Bruner had 13 points with 12 rebounds.

“We were getting good shots, but they don’t fall,” Staley said. “It’s a good thing the game was 40 minutes tonight.”

Staley stressed in practice for the team to stay confident in its shot when it would hit an offensive lull. Walker said she recognized the slipping confidence when each shot would be just off, but it was staying assured that helped her come through whenever the team was slumping.

Staley’s faith in Walker never wavered.

“I was anticipating her getting [1,000 points] a lot sooner than her senior year,” Staley said, “but I’m glad she got it tonight.” 

 

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