Dec. 15, 2004
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THE BASICS
South Carolina hosts North Carolina State at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Colonial Center. The Gamecocks and Wolfpack have not met since the 2000-01 season, when N.C. State claimed a 55-48 win.
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 click the “Audio/Video” link at the top of the screen. Follow the prompts from there to select the game you want to listen to.
MORE FROM THE WEB
In addition to the broadcast of the game airing on www.uscsports.com, fans can also access in-depth live stats by clicking on the “Gametracker” link for the game on the women’s basketball schedule/results page
SEASON TICKETS AVAILABLE
Season tickets for South Carolina women’s basketball are now available for only $40, making Gamecock women’s hoops one of the best values in town. Playing in the nation’s most difficult conference, plus an intriguing non-conference slate that includes home games against Clemson, N.C. State and Charlotte make for an exciting season of women’s basketball.
SANTA CLAUS SUITS UP
Santa Claus will be on hand for Thursday’s game at the Colonial Center. He can be found at the main entrance of the building.
ONE AFTER ANOTHER
Thursday’s game marks the second contest in a stretch of the South Carolina schedule in which the Gamecocks are playing five games in nine days. USC beat Florida A&M, 88-55 Tuesday, then comes back to play at Middle Tennessee Saturday before hosting Birmingham Southern and South Carolina State on Monday and Wednesday of next week, respectively.
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. Naismith Hall-of-Famer Kay Yow is in her 30th year at N.C. State, where she has compiled a 602-282 record. Prior to taking over the program at N.C. State, Yow coached at Elon College for four years, compiling a 57-19 record, putting her career record at 659-301 in her 34 seasons. One of the most accomplished coaches in the game, Yow has guided N.C. State to five ACC crowns, as well as four ACC Tournament championships. She is the second-winningest coach in the history of the ACC.
A CAROLINA WIN WOULD:
• Move South Carolina’s record to 16-2 in non-conference home games played in the Colonial Center. • Improve the Gamecocks record to 9-15 all-time against the Wolfpack. • Mark USC’s first win over N.C. State since an 84-71 triumph in 1994. • Mark USC’s first win over N.C. State in Columbia since an 81-76 victory in 1982. Since that game, the Wolfpack has won four games in a row over the Gamecocks in Columbia. • Mark the first time USC has won consecutive games this year. The Gamecocks defeated Florida A&M, 88-55 Wednesday.
A CAROLINA LOSS WOULD:
• Extend N.C. State’s advantage in the all-time series against South Carolina to 16-8. • Extend N.C. State’s winning streak over South Carolina to three games, with the first two coming in 1999 and 2000, respectively. • Mark the Gamecocks’ third non-conference home defeat this year. Entering the season, South Carolina had compiled a 13-0 record in non-conference games played in the Colonial Center. The Gamecocks won their home opener over Jacksonville to extend the streak to 14 games before losing to Charlotte and Clemson.
SIMMS A MODEL OF CONSISTENCY
Sophomore captain and Spring Valley graduate Lauren Simms came into the season with high expectations after earning Freshman All-SEC recognition last year. She has not disappointed through the first five games, reaching double-figures every game and averaging a team-best 18.0 points per game. She set a new career high when she scored 29 points against Charlotte on November 27, then she came back to score 25 points against rival Clemson, with 21 of those points coming after halftime.
THE ALL-WINDEX TEAM
Tuesday’s game against Florida A&M was extremely lopsided when it came to rebounding, where the Gamecocks cleaned the glass to the tune of a 49-18 advantage over the Rattlers. Melanie Johnson led the way with 11 boards, with Olga Gritsaeva adding a season-high nine of her own.
REJECTION IS A PART OF LIFE
With seven players on the roster standing 6-0 or taller, South Carolina is one of the SEC’s best teams in terms of blocking shots. The Gamecocks have rejected 37 shots in six games this year, for an average of 6.2 shots per game. The single-season school record for blocks is 115, held by the Gamecocks of 2001-02. The current team is on pace to block 174 shots during the regular season. South Carolina blocked 10 of Florida A&M’s shots Tuesday, marking the second time this season USC has swatted 10 shots in a game. The Gamecocks also sent back 10 of Jacksonville’s shots on Nov. 27.
BARNWELL’S JOHNSON ALL OVER THE PLACE
Sophomore Melanie Johnson, a Barnwell HS graduate, enjoyed a career night against Florida A&M Tuesday, setting career highs in nearly every major statistical category. She scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to go with seven steals, four blocks and four assists.
JOHNSON PROVIDING SECOND CHANCES
Offensive rebounding has been a bright spot for the Gamecocks, who have been led by Melanie Johnson. As a team, Carolina is averaging an SEC-best 19.3 offensive rebounds per game, with Johnson grabbing 3.8 offensive boards per contest. Johnson notched her first career double-double when she scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Charlotte. She came back to score 15 points and grab 11 rebounds against Florida A&M.
FOUR IN DOUBLE FIGURES
A quartet of Gamecocks scored in double figures Tuesday against Florida A&M, led by Melanie Johnson’s 15-point effort. Angela Hunter added a career-high 14 points, with Lauren Simms adding 11 and Stacy Booker chipping in with 10 of her own. In fact, every player on the USC roster played 12 minutes or more against the Lady Rattlers.
NOT ENOUGH FROM THE POST PLAYERS
Post play has been a question mark for South Carolina through the first six games, as the two post players who get the most minutes (Ilona Burgrova and Iva Sliskovic) have combined to average only 7.8 points per game on 17-of-47 shooting from the field (.362 pct.) While Burgrova is a true freshman that is still adjusting to play at this level, Sliskovic is already a proven talent, as she is the team’s returning leading scorer and rebounder from a year ago. As a freshman in 2003-04, Sliskovic averaged 11.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
BOOKER ERUPTS
Sophomore guard Stacy Booker enjoyed a night to remember against Clemson on December 3, racking up 28 points and grabbing six rebounds. Entering the game against the Tigers, Booker’s previous career-high scoring total was 13 points. Booker drained five three-pointers against Clemson, matching her season total entering the game.
FABBRI SHOWS POTENTIAL
Point guard play was a question mark for South Carolina entering the season, as no player had any significant experience running the point. Sophomore Lea Fabbri earned the starting nod with her performance in preseason practice, but was taken out of the starting lineup for USC’s game against Charlotte. Fabbri was given another shot at a starting spot in the next game against Clemson, and did not disappoint, as she finished with new career highs of 15 points and 10 assists. In dishing out 10 assists against the Tigers, Fabbri became the 15th player in school history to dish out 10 or more assists in a game.
MIX IT UP
South Carolina has fielded five different starting lineups in six games this year. Lauren Simms is the only Gamecock to start in every game.
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.
HILL-MACDONALD RETURNS
One of the top tacticians in the sport re-joined the South Carolina coaching staff this summer in Linda Hill-MacDonald. Hill-MacDonald served as an assistant coach under Susan Walvius from 2000-03 and was a large factor in the Gamecocks’ trip to the Elite Eight in 2002 and in the team’s consecutive NCAA appearances and top-20 national finishes in 2001-02 and 2002-03. Hill-MacDonald has over 30 years of coaching experience, including the head jobs at Temple University, the University of Minnesota and with the WNBA’s Cleveland Rockers.
GAMECOCK STAFF LONG ON EXPERIENCE
South Carolina has an interesting dynamic within its coaching staff, as three of the Gamecocks’ four coaches have substantial NCAA Division I head coaching experience. In fact, if director of basketball operations Robin Muller is included, the Gamecock coaches have 50 years of Division I head coaching experience.
WNBA, GAMECOCK STAR A HALL-OF-FAMER
Former Gamecock great Shannon Johnson won a gold medal this summer with Team USA at the Athens Olympics. In addition, she was also inducted into the University of South Carolina’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
THREE-POINTERS MADE STREAK STILL INTACT
The Gamecocks have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 95 consecutive games, dating back to November of 2001, which marks the longest such streak in school history.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Gamecocks are back in action at 8 p.m. (EST) Saturday when they battle Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro. The game will be broadcast live on WISW 1320 AM Columbia and on the internet at www.uscsports.com, with Andy Demetra handling play-by-play and Robin Muller providing analysis. ┢┢
