March 19, 2002

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Thirteenth-ranked South Carolina used a 25-0 run midway through the second half to break open a tight contest and defeat #20 Cincinnati 75-56 in a second round NCAA Women’s basketball regional game Monday night at the Carolina Coliseum. The victory earned the Gamecocks, 24-6 on the season, a spot in the NCAA Sweet 16, where they will play Drake in the East Regional semi-finals this Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Center.

South Carolina senior Teresa Geter led all scorers with 21 points and also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. It was her fifth double-double of the season. The 21 points equalled Geter’s season-high. Teammate Shaun Gortman pitched in 19 as three Gamecocks hit double figures in scoring.

South Carolina trailed 41-40 with 12:06 remaining in the second half, after Cincinnati’s Valerie King scored on a layup. Gamecock senior Tatyana Troina then sparked the beginning of 25 unanswered points when she drained a three-pointer from the top of the key, and then following a Bearcat foul underneath, sank a baseline jumper seconds later for a five point trip for the host team. Troina tallied 10 of her 14 points during this run and finished the night by hitting six of her seven shots from the field, including two of three from three-point range. Cincinnati went almost eight minutes without scoring during its second half dry spell, as the Gamecocks stretched their lead to 65-41 before a basket by K.B. Sharp at the 4:08 mark broke the scoreless drought for the Bearcats. Cincinnati had its 14-game winning streak snapped and finishes the season 27-5.

“I have a lot of respect for Cincinnati,” said Gamecock head coach Susan Walvius. “We knew we were going to have to do a good defensive job on them to win. We defended the perimeter well and Teresa (Geter) did a good job on Valerie King (holding Cincinnati’s leading scorer to 13 points – seven below her average).

“This an exciting time for us, advancing to the Sweet 16,” continued Walvius. “We’re proud to represent this University, the state of South Carolina and the Southeastern Conference. The crowd was really into tonight. They had a lot of energy. After Tatyana hit a couple of shots, the crowd got up and stood the rest of the game. Their energy carried over onto the floor and they were a big reason we had so much success.”

The game was close throughout the first half of play. Cincinnati opened the game hitting five of its first six shots, but finished the opening stanza by connecting on just two of 23 of their next attempts. The Gamecocks held a slim 27-24 lead at intermission.

South Carolina opened a six-point lead in the second half (36-30), only to see Cincinnati go on a 9-2 run to grab the lead at 39-38 with 12:56 left. Troina scored moments later to put the Gamecocks back on top, then King’s layup gave the Bearcats their last lead at 41-40 before the bottom fell out for the visitors.

“We didn’t shoot the ball well tonight and that is uncharacteristic of our team,” said Bearcat coach Laurie Pirtle. “We had way too many turnovers (18). We are a young team, but Carolina got on a roll and the momentum swung their way.”

This is South Carolina’s first NCAA Sweet 16 appearance since 1990, when the Gamecocks dropped a 73-61 decision to Washington in the semi-finals of the Mideast Regional in Iowa City, Iowa.

NCAA EAST REGIONAL TICKET INFORMATION:

South Carolina will receive an allotment of 300 tickets for the NCAA East Regional at the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena. Fans may call 1-800-310-7225 to order tickets over the telephone. The USC Athletics Ticket Office will have tickets on sale beginning Wednesday. Ticket books for the East Regional are $30 each.