Dec. 2, 2002

The University of South Carolina women’s basketball team returned to the Associated Press poll Monday night at #23 after a brief absence. The Gamecocks finished the season ranked number six in the final AP poll but for some unexplained reason, had not been ranked so far in the 2002-03 season.

On Tuesday night, South Carolina returns to the Carolina Center for the first of a back-to-back series with Southern Conference opponents. Georgia Southern is the opponent for Tuesday and the game begins at 7:00 p.m.

Anyone bringing a newspaper for recycling to the Carolina Center Ticket Office will receive a Tuesday night game ticket for only $2.

USC is 4-0 on the season after capturing the championship of the Paradise Jam Tournament Saturday with a 54-51 victory over #18 Boston College.

A victory Tuesday night would tie the record for the best USC start under Head Coach Susan Walvius. In 1998-99, the Gamecocks raced out to a 5-0 record before dropping the first loss against LSU on December 1, 1999 (88-73). Last year’s Elite Eight Gamecock squad started the season with four consecutive wins before a disappointing loss at Clemson. The South Carolina record for most wins to start a season is 10, accomplished by the 1981-82 Gamecocks. The 1988-89 squad pulled off nine wins to kick off the year.

Senior Naismith candidate Jocelyn Penn leads South Carolina in scoring with an average of 27 points per contest. With her 16 points against Boston College, Penn moved into 14th place on the South Carolina all-time scoring list, overtaking former teammate Shaunzinski Gortman. Senior Petra Ujhelyi is averaging 11.5 rebounds per game to pace the Gamecocks on the backboards.

Georgia Southern enters the game against South Carolina with a 3-1 mark after defeating Savannah State Sunday, 82-37. Three Georgia Southern players scored in double figures with Jessica Everett leading the way with 14 points. Mimi Lindsey pulled down 11 boards in the victory.