Jan. 11, 2005
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HEADLINES
* South Carolina (5-10 overall; 0-2 Southeastern Conference) puts a cap on the non-conference portion of its schedule when it hosts the College of Charleston (5-6 overall; 2-4 Southern Conference) at 7 p.m. (EST) Thursday at the Colonial Center.
* The Gamecocks are looking to extend their winning streak against teams from the Southern Conference to 23 games, with the last loss a 101-84 setback at Furman on Jan. 25, 1995.
* Carolina is in search of its sixth consecutive win over the College of Charleston and the 11th win in the last 12 meetings with the Cougars.
* The College of Charleston is coached by former Gamecock mentor Nancy Wilson (1984-97). The winningest coach in the history of the South Carolina women’s basketball program, Wilson compiled a 231-149 record during her tenure with the Gamecocks.
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.
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. The Gamecocks play in the premier women’s basketball conference in America, and the SEC schedule is one that gives fans the chance to see some of the best women’s basketball players in America night in and night out.
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. Former Gamecock head coach Nancy Wilson is in the second year of her second stint as head coach at the College of Charleston, where she previously coached from 1976-84. Wilson, who coached at South Carolina from 1984-97 and was the immediate predecessor of Susan Walvius, left USC with a 231-149 record and as the winningest coach in the history of the program. Her .608 winning percentage also ranks in the top three at the school. After leaving South Carolina, Wilson spent two years as Associate Head Coach for the Seattle Reign of the American Basketball Association before serving as a professor in the College of Charleston’s Physical Education department. She took the head coaching job in March of 2003.
A CAROLINA WIN WOULD:
* Mark the Gamecocks’ sixth consecutive win over the College of Charleston and would be the 11th Carolina win in the last 12 meetings with the Cougars.
* Improve South Carolina to 8-2 all-time against the College of Charleston in games played in Columbia.
* Snap South Carolina’s current four-game losing streak, which is its longest of the season.
* Improve South Carolina’s record in non-conference games played at the Colonial Center to 20-4.
* Put a cap on the non-conference portion of the schedule with a 6-8 record.
* Improve South Carolina to 70-16 all-time against teams from the Southern Conference.
* Extend South Carolina’s winning streak against teams from the Southern Conference to 23 games, with the last loss a 101-84 setback at Furman on Jan. 25, 1995.
A CAROLINA LOSS WOULD:
* Snap the Gamecocks’ five-game winning streak against the College of Charleston, giving the Cougars their first win over South Carolina since a 66-63 victory in Charleston on Dec. 7, 1991.
* Mark the College of Charleston’s first win over South Carolina in Columbia since an 80-61 triumph on Feb. 26, 1977. South Carolina has won the last six meetings played in Columbia since then.
* Snap South Carolina’s 22-game winning streak over teams from the Southern Conference, with the last loss a 101-84 setback at Furman on Jan. 25, 1995.
* Extend South Carolina’s current losing streak to five games, which is its longest of the season.
* Mark Nancy Wilson’s first win over the team she used to coach. Last year’s 84-61 South Carolina victory marked Wilson’s first head-to-head meeting against the program from which she resigned in 1997.
* Move South Carolina’s all-time record in non-conference games played at the Colonial Center to 19-5.
* Move South Carolina to 69-17 in games played against teams from the Southern Conference.
CAROLINA’S KEY NUMBERS
* 20:00 – The Gamecocks are yet to win a game in which it trailed at the half. Conversely, Carolina is 5-2 when leading after the first 20 minutes of play.
* 3/10 – South Carolina is 5-1 in games this season when three or more players score at least 10 points in the same game. The Gamecocks are 0-9 when two players or less hit double-figures.
* 40% – Carolina is 0-8 this year when shooting less than 40 percent from the field. Conversely, the Gamecocks’ opposition is 6-1 when shooting 40 percent from the field.
* 60 – The Gamecocks are 0-7 this season when scoring less than 60 points.
* 66 – Dating back to Feb. 23, 2003, USC has lost its last 24 games when scoring less than 66 points.
* 16 – Carolina is 5-0 this season in games in which it distributes 16 assists as a team.
* 10 – The Gamecocks are 0-4 this year in games decided by 10 points or less.
* 23 – …as in the jersey number of Melanie Johnson. In South Carolina’s five wins, Johnson averages 14.0 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 5.0 steals per game. Her season averages are 7.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 2.6 steals per game.
GAMECOCKS ARE THE SWAT TEAM
South Carolina leads the SEC and ranks third nationally in blocked shots. The Gamecocks have rejected an SEC-best 95 shots this year, for an average of 6.3 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 176 shots. The single-season SEC record for blocked shots is 238, set by Tennessee in 1998. 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.
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 35 shots in 14 games (2.50 per game) with Johnson sending 32 shots back in 15 games (2.13 per game). With the entire conference season yet to play, Tolliver has already set a new South Carolina freshman record with 35 blocks, eclipsing the existing 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.
CAROLINA DEFENSE SETS RECORD
South Carolina held Mississippi State to 16-of-65 shooting from the field on Jan. 6 (.246 pct.) to set a new single-game Colonial Center record for field goal percentage defense for either men or women.
DEFENSE BECOMING CAROLINA CALLING CARD
With the exception of an aberration against Vanderbilt on Jan. 9 in which the Gamecocks allowed the Commodores to score 88 points on 28-of-58 shooting from the field (48.3 percent), South Carolina has stepped up its defense lately, holding six of its last seven opponents (Vanderbilt excluded) to an average of 51.5 points per game on 109-of-347 shooting from the field (.314 pct.)
WHAT’S NEXT
The Gamecocks return to the SEC schedule when they host Florida at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Colonial Center. There will be a cheerleading clinic before the game. Fans should call 803-777-5567 for details on the clinic. 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.
