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Jan. 1, 2005

THE BASICS
South Carolina (5-7 overall) travels to Charlottesville, Va., to take on Virginia (9-3 overall) at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday at University Hall. Sunday’s game is the first meeting between the two teams since 1985, when Virginia claimed an 85-58 win in Charlottesville. The two schools have faced each other only three times, with the Cavaliers winning two of the three meetings.

ON THE AIR
Sunday’s 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.

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.

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. Cavalier head coach Debbie Ryan is one of the best in the game. In her 28 years at the helm at Virginia, she has averaged 22.2 wins per season. She has recorded 20 or more wins in a season 18 times and 30 or more twice en route to 20 NCAA Tournament appearances and three consecutive Final Four berths. In the Cavaliers’ last win over James Madison, Ryan collected her 600th career win, becoming only the 12th women’s coach all-time to achieve the milestone. Her career record is 600-243 for a .712 winning percentage.

A CAROLINA WIN WOULD:
• Mark USC’s fourth win in its last five games, which would be the team’s best stretch since winning eight consecutive games during the non-conference portion of the schedule last year. • Snap South Carolina’s five-game losing streak against teams from the ACC. The Gamecocks lost to both Clemson and N.C. State earlier this year, suffered defeats at the hands of Clemson and North Carolina last year and lost to the Tar Heels in 2002. • Mark Carolina’s first win over an ACC opponent since beating Clemson, 72-58 in the 2002-03 season opener. • Mark the Gamecocks’ first road win over a power conference (ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10, Big East) school since a 79-64 win at Ole Miss on March 2, 2002. Since that game, Carolina has dropped its last 11 road games against the power conferences. • Snap Carolina’s nine-game losing streak in games played away from the Colonial Center. The Gamecocks’ last road win was an 84-61 triumph at College of Charleston on Jan. 28, 2004. • Snap Virginia’s current five-game winning streak. The Cavaliers have defeated Northwestern, Old Dominion, St. Francis, Albany and James Madison by an average margin of 26.8 points during their current streak, holding those five teams to an average of only 51.0 points per game. • Even the all-time series against Virginia at two wins apiece. The Cavaliers claimed an 85-58 win over the Gamecocks in the last meeting between the two schools in 1985. South Carolina edged Virginia, 70-68 in 1984. The first meeting between the two schools came in 1981, with the Cavaliers picking up a 71-52 win.

A CAROLINA LOSS WOULD:
• Mark the Gamecocks’ sixth consecutive defeat at the hands of an ACC opponent. The Gamecocks lost to both Clemson and N.C. State earlier this year, suffered defeats at the hands of Clemson and North Carolina last year and lost to the Tar Heels in 2002. • Mark the Gamecocks’ 12th consecutive road loss coming at the hands of power conference (ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10, Big East) schools. USC’s last win was a 79-64 victory at Ole Miss on March 2, 2002. • Extend Carolina’s losing streak to 10 games in contests played away from the Colonial Center. The Gamecocks’ last road win was an 84-61 triumph at College of Charleston on Jan. 28, 2004. • Extend Virginia’s current winning streak to six games. The Cavaliers have defeated Northwestern, Old Dominion, St. Francis, Albany and James Madison by an average margin of 26.8 points during their current streak, holding those five teams to an average of only 51.0 points per game.

THE SWAT TEAM
South Carolina leads the SEC and ranks among the national leaders in blocked shots. The Gamecocks have rejected an SEC-best 81 shots in nine games this year, for an average of 6.8 shots per game. USC’s single-season school record for blocks is 115, held by the Gamecocks of 2001-02. The current team is on pace to block 190 shots. This year’s South Carolina team has eclipsed the Colonial Center record for blocked shots in a single game four times over, swatting 10 shots against South Carolina State, Birmingham Southern, Florida A&M and Jacksonville, respectively. The previous record was seven. The school record for blocked shots in a single game is 13, set against Wofford in 1997.

MORE FROM THE SWAT TEAM
Leading the way for Carolina in the blocked shot department are redshirt freshman forward and Columbia native Lakesha Tolliver and sophomore forward Melanie Johnson. Tolliver has swatted 31 shots (2.58 per game) with Johnson sending 27 shots back (2.25 per game). With the entire conference season yet to play, Tolliver’s next blocked shot will match South Carolina’s freshman record of 32 set in 1980-81 by Philicia Allen. The school record for blocked shots in a single-season is held by Teresa Geter, who swatted 58 shots in 2000-01.

TENACIOUS D
South Carolina has stepped up its defense lately, holding Birmingham Southern, South Carolina State, Coastal Carolina and Seton Hall to an average of 47.0 points per game on 67-of-226 shooting from the field (.296 pct.)

3FGM STREAK HITS CENTURY MARK
The Gamecocks have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 101 consecutive games during a streak that dates back to November of 2001 and is the longest such streak in school history.

JOHNSON KNOWS HOW TO FILL A BOX SCORE
Sophomore Melanie Johnson, a Barnwell HS graduate, is at her best when she plays an all-around game. Johnson ranks second in the SEC in double-doubles with five and has turned in three double-doubles in Carolina’s last four games. Johnson leads the team in rebounding, steals, defensive rebounds and offensive rebounds and ranks second in scoring and blocked shots. In addition, she also ranks among the team leaders in field goal percentage and free throws attempted.

SIMMS’ CITY
Sophomore captain and Columbia native Lauren Simms has been a force for South Carolina this year. In addition to leading the team with 15.1 points per game, Simms also ranks third on the team in field goal percentage. Shooting 48.3 percent from the field, Simms is well above the normal percentage for a perimeter player. Having scored in double figures in all but two games this year, the Spring Valley HS graduate has proven to be a tough cover for the opposition, as she has demonstrated the ability to get to the rim (she leads the team with 46 trips to the charity stripe) and to knock down the trey (she is shooting a respectable 32.3 percent from beyond the arc.)

TEAM MANAGER GETS GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY
South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Susan Walvius announced the addition of freshman Ebony Jones to the roster on Dec. 18. Jones, a 5-6 shooting guard from Aiken HS in Aiken, S.C., enrolled at South Carolina last year and served as a team manager during the 2003-04 season and the beginning of the current season. “This is tremendous honor to get a chance to play basketball for a school like South Carolina,” Jones said. “This is a great opportunity and I will do everything I can to help this team.” A nursing major who is a sophomore in academic standing, Jones was a standout playing for coach Aubrey Pompey at Aiken HS, garnering all-state recognition as a senior and all-conference accolades during her junior and senior years. She played in the North-South All-Star Game as well as the South Carolina vs. Georgia All-Star Game.

SLISKOVIC MAKES AN IMPACT
Sophomore forward Iva Sliskovic came into the season with high expectations as the leading returning scorer and rebounder from a year ago. Things have not gone as planned for Sliskovic this year, but she showed a flash of last year’s form in her last four games, averaging 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game during that stretch. An argument can be made that Sliskovic is one of the most important players on the roster. Considered as one of the best help defenders on the USC roster, Sliskovic has recorded at least one steal in eight of Carolina’s 11 games this year. When she is able add scoring, the Gamecocks look much smoother as a unit.

SHOOTING BLANKS
South Carolina has struggled from three-point range as a team, ranking 10th in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage at .262 pct., while firing up the most attempts of anyone in the conference at 19.1 per game. When the last six games are combined, USC is shooting 23-of-106 from three-point range (.217 pct.) Stacy Booker, who led the SEC in three-point field goal percentage entering the N.C. State game on Dec. 16 at 12-of-24 (.500 pct), has fallen on hard times, knocking down only two of her last 22 attempts from beyond the arc. Junior forward Olga Gritsaeva, a .333 shooter from three-point range during her first two seasons, is 3-for-23 (.130 pct.) from beyond the arc this year.

NOT SHY ABOUT SHOOTING FROM DEEP
Three-point shooting is a key part of the Gamecocks’ offense. Carolina has jacked up at least 20 attempts from beyond the arc in six games this year.

TURNOVER TROUBLES CONTINUE
Turnovers have been a problem for the Gamecocks this year. Carolina commits an SEC-worst average of 20.4 turnovers per game. In the five games prior to USC’s win over Coastal Carolina, the Gamecocks turned the ball over 20 times against South Carolina State, 24 times against Birmingham Southern, Middle Tennessee and N.C. State, respectively, and gave the ball away 23 times against Florida A&M.

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.

WHAT’S NEXT
The Gamecocks are back in action when they open the SEC schedule by hosting Mississippi State at 7 p.m. EST on Jan. 6 at the Colonial Center. 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. ┢┢