Dec. 15, 2005
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THE BASICS
South Carolina (3-3; 0-0 Southeastern Conference) plays the second game in a stretch of five games in nine days when it hosts Ohio University (2-5 overall; 0-0 Mid-American Conference).
ON THE AIR
The game will be broadcast live on WISW 1320 AM Columbia, with Andy Demetra handling play-by-play and Robin Muller providing analysis. For listeners outside of Columbia, the live broadcast will also be aired worldwide via the internet on the official web site of South Carolina athletics, www.uscsports.com.
ACCESSING THE WEB BROADCAST
To access the internet broadcast, go to www.uscsports.com, then go to the women’s basketball home page and click on “Schedule/Results”. At the top of the page is a link for Audio Broadcasts. Click on that link, then select the game you wish to listen to.
THE COACHES
Susan Walvius is in her ninth year at the helm of the South Carolina women’s basketball program and her 16th year overall as a head coach. Prior to USC, she coached at Virginia Commonwealth and West Virginia. The 2002 SEC Coach of the Year led the Gamecocks to consecutive top-20 national finishes and NCAA tournament appearances in 2002 and 2003. Her 2002 squad advanced to the Elite Eight. Now moving into her seventh season at Ohio, coach Lynn Bria’s tenacious, up-tempo style of basketball has shaped the Bobcats into a perennial contender in the Mid-American Conference. Bria came to Athens after three years at Central Florida and three seasons as head coach at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. Prior to that, she spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Marshall and was an assistant coach for one year at Radford.
CAROLINA FROM A DISTANCE
South Carolina comes off a big win over No. 14 Minnesota, as the Gamecocks rolled to a 79-61 win over the Gophers. Carolina led by as many as 27 points in the second half en route to snapping a 17-game skid against ranked opponents. The Gamecocks started the season with a pair of home wins over High Point and Winthrop, but a pair of narrow defeats at the hands of then-No. 18 Texas and then-No. 19 Purdue at the Junkanoo Jam tournament in The Bahamas set up a bitter home defeat to Georgia Southern on Nov. 29. The Gamecocks have four players averaging 8.0 points or more per game. Freshman Demetress Adams has emerged as an early bright spot for a Carolina team that ranks among the SEC leaders in field goal percentage defense and blocked shots.
OHIO FROM A DISTANCE
Ohio enters Thursday’s game with a 2-5 overall record with its wins coming over Tennessee State and Chicago State. The Bobcats opened the season with a bitter 80-68 defeat at the hands of South Carolina State. The Gamecocks mark Ohio’s first opponent from one of the power conferences. Turnovers have been a concern for the Bobcats, as they have given the ball away 21.6 times per game but have forced only 16.7 per game. Guards Rachel Frederick (14.6 ppg, 2.9 spg) and Simone Redd (14.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg) have led the way for Ohio in the early going.
WALVIUS IN NON-CONFERENCE GAMES
Entering Thursday’s game, the Gamecocks have compiled an 83-42 record in regular-season non-conference games under Susan Walvius, including a 52-9 mark in non-conference games played in Columbia.
A CAROLINA WIN WOULD:
• Improve Susan Walvius’ record to 53-9 all-time in non-conference games played at home. • Extend South Carolina’s advantage to 3-0 in the all-time series with Ohio. • Extend Carolina’s winning streak over teams from the Mid-American Conference to 10 games, with the last loss an 89-80 setback at the hands of Marshall in 1984. • Improve the Gamecocks’ record to 11-1 all-time in games played against teams from the Mid-American Conference.
A CAROLINA LOSS WOULD:
• Move Susan Walvius to 52-10 all-time in non-conference games played at home. • Snap the Gamecocks’ nine-game winning streak over teams from the Mid-American Conference, with the last loss an 89-80 setback at the hands of Marshall in 1984. • Tighten the Gamecocks’ edge in the all-time series between the two schools to 2-1. • Drop Carolina’s record to 10-2 all-time against teams from the MAC.
CAROLINA DEFENSE AMONG NATION’S BEST
The Gamecocks lead the SEC and rank second in the most recent NCAA rankings by holding the opposition to .322 shooting from the field. Carolina also ranks among the top 30 teams in the nation in blocked shots (fifth/7.2 bpg), scoring defense (21st/54.3 opp. ppg) and steals (21st/12.2 spg).
GOOD START TO THE HOMESTAND
The Gamecocks opened their longest homestand of the year with an emphatic 79-61 win over No. 14 Minnesota on Tuesday. Carolina’s win was a true team effort, as nine players played 11 minutes or more, with no player on the floor for more than 27 minutes. After giving up the first bucket of the game to the Golden Gophers, Carolina rattled off a 13-0 run and never looked back, leading by as many as 27 points in the second half with a variety of lineups.
PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES
Perhaps one of the most significant improvements for Carolina in its win over Minnesota was the fact that the Gamecocks were able to knock down open shots when they presented themselves. Carolina shot a blistering 58.3 percent from the field (35-60), marking the Gamecocks’ highest field goal percentage since they connected on 59.4 percent of their field goal attempts (38-64) against Stetson on Dec. 2, 2003.
LIKE TRUE ARTISTS, GAMECOCKS SHINE IN PAINT
South Carolina dominated the interior against Minnesota, owning a 48-20 advantage in points in the paint. Carolina’s 48 points in the paint far surpassed their previous season high of 34 points in the paint set against High Point.
THE MONKEY IS OFF THEIR BACK
After Carolina’s win over No. 14 Minnesota, the Gamecock junior class can now stake claim to toppling a ranked opponent. Prior to Tuesday’s win, the Carolina junior class had suffered through an 0-15 record against ranked teams.
PRODUCTION FROM STARTING FIVE MATTERS…
South Carolina head coach Susan Walvius has used six different starting lineups in the Gamecocks’ six games this season, but one constant has held true. When Carolina’s starters have outscored the opposition’s starters, the Gamecocks are 3-0, and when Carolina’s starters score less than the opposition’s starters, the Gamecocks are 0-3.
…BUT DON’T OVERLOOK THE IMPORTANCE OF BENCH PRODUCTION
Though South Carolina is undefeated when its starting five outscores that of the opposition, the Carolina bench averages 28.7 points per game against 17.8 points per game from the opponent’s bench. The Gamecock starting five’s average of 36.7 points per game is nearly identical to the opponents’ starting five average of 36.5 points per game, so it can be argued that bench production is the difference.
SHANNEL TURNS IN A DESIGNER PERFORMANCE
Carolina guard Shannel Harris posted new career highs with 13 points and six rebounds in the Gamecocks’ win over No. 14 Minnesota. To put her point total in that game into perspective, she had 13 total points all season entering Tuesday’s game.
SLISKOVIC A SILENT ASSASSIN
Junior Iva Sliskovic isn’t a player that will score 30 points per game, but she her contributions to the team are undeniable. Through six games this season, Sliskovic averages 8.7 points to go with 6.5 rebounds per game. Playing at the power forward position, she ranks second on the team with 17 assists. She leads the team with 14 blocks and has made seven steals. Among the eight Carolina players who have played at least 65 minutes this season, she is the only player with more assists (17) than turnovers (14). Fittingly, a statistical category doesn’t even exist for one of her greatest strengths, as Sliskovic is the Gamecocks’ best help defender and has a way of disrupting the flow of the opposing teams’ interior offense.
SLISKOVIC A KEY DIFFERENCE-MAKER
Since arriving on campus, Iva Sliskovic has been a very important player for South Carolina, as the team’s winning percentage jumps drastically when she scores in double figures. Sliskovic has reached double-figures in 26 games during her career. In those 26 games, South Carolina has compiled a 14-12 record. When Sliskovic scores less than 10 points, the Gamecocks have compiled a 7-30 mark.
ADAMS A NAME TO REMEMBER
South Carolina freshman Demetress Adams came to USC as one of the top post players in the state last year and has not disappointed early on. The Lee Central HS graduate recorded a double-double in her first game at the collegiate level, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 boards against High Point. She came back to score a game-high 17 points and grab nine rebounds in Carolina’s next game against Winthrop. Through the Gamecocks’ first six games, Adams ranks either first or second on the team in points per game (10.0), rebounds per game (7.5), field goal percentage (.571 pct), free throw percentage (.714 pct), blocked shots (10) and steals (15).
MORE FROM ADAMS
The play of Demetress Adams has become somewhat of an early barometer for Carolina’s success this year. In Carolina’s three wins, Adams averages 13.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. In the Gamecocks’ three losses, the freshman averages 7.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Gamecocks host South Carolina State at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17 at the Colonial Center. The game is the front end of a doubleheader with the Gamecock men’s team, which hosts Wofford at 7:30 p.m. The women’s game will be broadcast live on WISW 1320-AM with Andy Demetra handling play-by-play and Robin Muller providing analysis.
