Feb. 18, 2005
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THE BASICS
South Carolina (6-18; 0-10 SEC) is back in action when it hosts Alabama (13-11; 4-7 SEC) at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Colonial Center.
THE COACHES
Susan Walvius is in her eighth year at the helm of the South Carolina women’s basketball program and her 15th 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. Rick Moody has led the Alabama women’s basketball program since 1989, making eight NCAA tournament appearances in his 16 seasons with the Crimson Tide highlighted by a trip to the 1994 Final Four. A deacon at his church, Moody has guided Alabama to the post-season in 11 of the last 13 seasons. He is the winningest coach in Alabama history for either men or women. His son, Ben is a golfer for Troy University.
A CAROLINA WIN WOULD:
* Mark the Gamecocks’ fifth win in in their last seven games against Alabama. * Improve Susan Walvius’ record against Alabama to 5-7, marking the second-highest win total for Walvius against any SEC opponent. Under Walvius, the Gamecocks have beaten Kentucky seven times and Ole Miss five times. * Bring an end to South Carolina’s current nine-game losing streak, which is the longest in school history. * Snap South Carolina’s 17-game losing streak against teams from the SEC. The Gamecocks’ last win over an SEC opponent was a 77-51 victory over Alabama on Feb. 12, 2004.
A CAROLINA LOSS WOULD:
* Move the Gamecocks to 0-12 in conference play this year and extend Carolina’s losing streak against SEC opposition to 18 games, dating back to a 77-51 win over Alabama on Feb. 12, 2004. * Extend South Carolina’s current losing streak to 10 games, extending the newly-established school record. * Mark Alabama’s 14th win over South Carolina in the last 19 meetings between the two schools.
JOHNSON, TOLLIVER RETURN
Forwards Melanie Johnson and Lakesha Tolliver wil be back in the Carolina lineup after missing the Tennessee game for a violation of team rules.
KULCSAR CLEARED TO PLAY
Forward Larissa Kulcsar has been cleared to play in Sunday’s game after sustaining a lower back contusion in Thursday’s game at Tennessee when she hit the floor hard after getting tangled up with Lady Vol forward Sybil Dosty while fighting for position for a rebound in the second half. Kulcsar did not return to the game after her injury, but practiced Friday and will be available for Sunday.
MARCINIAK LIKELY TO MISS GAME
Carolina assistant Michelle Marciniak will likely miss Sunday’s game against Alabama to be in Pennsylvania with her father, who is experiencing complications following surgery. Her return date to the Gamecock bench is uncertain.
FABBRI BACK IN LINEUP
Starting point guard Lea Fabbri is back in action after missing three games to be home in Croatia with her father, who was ill in the hospital. Fabbri’s father underwent surgery and has since been released from the hospital. Fabbri, who flew out on Feb. 4, returned to Columbia on Feb. 14 and practiced with the team the next day. She started in Thursday’s game at Tennessee, scoring two points.
CAROLINA’S KEY NUMBERS
* 20:00 – The Gamecocks are yet to win a game in which they trailed at the half. Conversely, Carolina is 6-3 when leading after the first 20 minutes of play.
* 10 – The Gamecocks are 0-6 this year in games decided by 10 points or less, and are 0-11 in their last 11 games decided 10 points or less, dating back to an 81-79 win over Southern Utah on Dec. 5, 2003.
* 20 – Carolina is 0-15 in games decided by less than 20 points this year. Dating back to last season, the Gamecocks have lost their last 26 games decided by less than 20 points.
* 3/10 – South Carolina is 5-2 in games this season when three or more players score at least 10 points in the same game. The Gamecocks are 1-17 when two players or less hit double-figures.
* 40% – Carolina is 0-16 this year when shooting less than 40 percent from the field. Conversely, the Gamecocks’ opposition is 10-1 when shooting 40 percent from the field.
* 66 – Dating back to a 65-54 win over Auburn on Feb. 23, 2003, USC has lost its last 33 games when scoring less than 66 points.
* 16 – Carolina is 5-0 this season in games in which it distributes 16 assists as a team.
BOOKER LOGS BIG MINUTES
Sophomore guard Stacy Booker has become a workhorse during the last two games. Booker played all 40 minutes against LSU last Sunday and played 35 minutes at Tennessee. Booker’s increased minutes have translated into increased production, as she scored 15 points against the top-ranked Tigers (a figure that nearly doubles her season average) and set a new career high with seven assists at Tennessee.
SLISKOVIC A TOUGH MATCHUP FOR LADY VOLS
Forward Iva Sliskovic has proven herself to be a difficult matchup for Tennessee. The sophomore matched a season-high with 14 points against the Lady Vols Thursday, equaling her previous season-high set against the same Tennessee squad on Jan. 27. For her career, Sliskovic averages 11.3 point per game against the Lady Vols.
SIMMS SCORES EFFICIENTLY AT TENNESSEE
Guard Lauren Simms scored a game-high 16 points at Tennessee Thursday, marking her 16th double-figure scoring game of the season and the 11th game this season in which she led the team in scoring. More impressive, however, is the fact that she was able to score while shooting at a high percentage. Simms knocked down seven of her 12 attempts from the field (.583 pct.)
DROUGHTS A RECURRING THEME LATELY
Scoring droughts of substantial length have plagued the Gamecocks all season, but they have been particularly damaging of late. In last Sunday’s game against LSU, the Gamecocks were held scoreless for a span of 10:50. In the next game at Tennessee, Carolina was held to one field goal during a nine-minute span to start the second half.
MURDERER’S ROW
The Gamecocks are coming off a three-game stretch in the schedule in which they battled some of the nation’s best. The Gamecocks lost at Georgia on Feb. 10, then came home to suffer a 66-36 defeat at the hands of top-ranked LSU last Sunday before traveling to Knoxville for a 74-44 beating administered by No. 6/6 Tennessee.
NOT AS EASY AS 1, 2, 3
During week two of this season, the three teams in the recently-completed patch of South Carolina’s schedule were ranked No. 1, 2 and 3 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls.
UNDERCLASSMEN ABOUND
There are no seniors on the South Carolina roster. In fact, the team has only one junior. Forward Olga Gritsaeva is the only upperclassman on a roster that features eight sophomores, two redshirt freshmen and one true freshman.
YOUTH SHOWS IN CLOSE GAMES
South Carolina is 0-6 this year in games decided by 10 points or less and 0-15 in games decided by less than 20 points. Dating back to last year, the Gamecocks have lost their last 11 games decided by 10 points or less and their last 26 games decided by less than 20 points.
GAMECOCK KIDS BOOK DRIVE IS NEXT
South Carolina puts a cap on its home schedule when it hosts Kentucky at 7 p.m. Thursday. Fans who make a book donation to Reach out and Read will be admitted for only $2.00.
