Dec. 1, 2004

Recap | Box Score | Notes

South Carolina vs. Appalachian State, 12/1/04, Columbia, SC

Coach Dave Odom Quotes: “I was very pleased with how we played for the most part. Especially in the first half. I liked the way we guarded their players. We got in the passing lanes and came up with some loose balls. At the end of the first half, in particular, we put together a good spurt. The play Renaldo Balkman made right before halftime really gave us a spark and gave us some energy. I thought Tarence Kinsey really played well. He’s been putting in some extra time shooting the ball after practice. Some of our reserves had some good moments They showed a better presence tonight. Still, I didn’t like how we let them get to the basket. We only had one turnover in the second half and that was key. Games like this can help us with our confidence level.”

Coach Houston Fancher Quotes: “We worked hard they had an 11-point lead on us and I thought we were still in the game. That last minute or two of the (first) half were just a blur. To me, that’s where the difference of the game was. We lost our sense of confidence and sense of confidence in each other.”

On turnovers: “They didn’t turn over the ball in the second half and that put them in the position to score and we probably doubled the turnovers in the second half.

On South Carolina: “I think our guys are a little bit disappointed in the way they played tonight. South Carolina was a good team and they made us look bad tonight. As far as their athleticism, I think they showed a lot of depth. When Renaldo Balkman shot a three I knew it was time to sit down and be quiet. I think they are a good basketball team and they’re very well coached, obviously. It was a big challenge for us and we just didn’t respond tonight.”

On starters: “We had a couple of guys that we count on that didn’t play well. That effects us too. We need the five people that get on the floor to do what they do for us and they didn’t do that. It hit us at a great time. We came out of those first two games feeling good and this was a slap in the face for us.”