Feb. 23, 2005
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THE BASICS
South Carolina (7-19; 1-11 SEC) puts a cap on its home schedule when it hosts Kentucky (14-13; 3-9 SEC) at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Colonial Center.
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-depth live stats can be accessed on the internet by visiting www.uscsports.com, then going to the women’s basketball schedule page and clicking on the “Gametracker” link for Thursday’s game.
GAMECOCK KIDS BOOK DRIVE
All fans who bring a book to donate to Reach Out And Read will be admitted for only $2.00.
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. Longtime Tennessee assistant Mickie DeMoss is in her second season at the helm of the Kentucky program, where she has compiled a 25-30 overall record. DeMoss, who served as head coach at Florida from 1979-83, owns a 70-98 career record as a head coach.
A CAROLINA WIN WOULD:
* Mark the Gamecocks’ seventh win in their last 11 meetings with the Wildcats. * Mark Susan Walvius’ eighth win over Kentucky as head coach at South Carolina, her most against any opponent. * Improve South Carolina’s record to 14-20 in the all-time series history with Kentucky, which is the Gamecocks’ best record vs. any SEC opponent. * Mark the first time Carolina has won consecutive SEC games since the end of the 2002-03 season, when the Gamecocks defeated Kentucky and Ole Miss in the final two games of the regular season.
A CAROLINA LOSS WOULD:
* Mark the Wildcats’ fourth consecutive win over South Carolina and the second consecutive season that Kentucky has swept the season series against South Carolina.
SIMMS OUT FOR KENTUCKY GAME
South Carolina team captain and leading scorer Lauren Simms sustained a knee injury during the first half of Sunday’s win over Alabama at the Colonial Center and did not return to the game. Simms has been diagnosed with a sprained right knee and underwent an MRI Sunday. She will be re-evaluated in a week. Until she is re-evaluated, her status for the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament is unknown. A Freshman All-SEC selection a year ago, Simms earned a spot on the SEC Good Works team for her efforts in the community both as a freshman and as a sophomore. In the classroom, she owns one of the highest grade-point averages of any player on the Gamecock roster. The Columbia native and Spring Valley HS graduate averages 11.8 points per game and is the only Carolina player to have started all 26 games this year. Since arriving on campus, Simms has not missed a game and has started in 53 of South Carolina’s 54 games, with the lone exception coming after she sprained an ankle leading up to last year’s game at Tennessee on Feb. 8. Simms came off the bench that day to score 13 points and grab five rebounds.
GAMECOCKS CLAIM FIRST SEC WIN
After losing its first 11 SEC games this year, South Carolina claimed its first conference win of the season last game with a 66-57 win over Alabama at the Colonial Center last Sunday. Playing without its team captain and leading scorer for most of the game, the Gamecocks came together as a team. For only the second time this year, four players scored in double figures in the same game, led by Stacy Booker’s 19-point effort.
CAROLINA’S KEY NUMBERS
* 20:00 – The Gamecocks are yet to win a game in which they trailed at the half. Conversely, Carolina is 7-3 when leading after the first 20 minutes of play.
* 10 – The Gamecocks are 1-6 this year in games decided by 10 points or less, and are 1-11 in their last 12 games decided 10 points or less, dating back to an 81-79 win over Southern Utah on Dec. 5, 2003.
* 20 – Carolina is 1-15 in games decided by less than 20 points this year. Dating back to last season, the Gamecocks have lost 25 of their last 26 games decided by less than 20 points.
* 3/10 – South Carolina is 6-2 in games this season when three or more players score at least 10 points in the same game. The Gamecocks are 1-17 when two players or less hit double-figures.
* 40% – Carolina is 0-16 this year when shooting less than 40 percent from the field. Conversely, the Gamecocks’ opposition is 10-1 when shooting 40 percent from the field.
* 66 – Dating back to a 65-54 win over Auburn on Feb. 23, 2003, USC has lost its last 33 games when scoring less than 66 points.
* 16 – Carolina is 6-0 this season in games in which it distributes 16 assists as a team.
BOOKER’S NUMBERS IMPROVE VS. SEC OPPOSITION
After leading South Carolina to victory with 19 points and nine rebounds against Alabama last Sunday, sophomore guard Stacy Booker took a step toward establishing herself as a solid player in the SEC. In fact, Booker’s numbers are up across the board against SEC opposition.
BOOKER LOGS BIG MINUTES
Stacy Booker has become a workhorse during the last three games. Booker played all 40 minutes against LSU on Feb. 13, played 35 minutes at Tennessee last Thursday and played 36 minutes against Alabama last Sunday. Booker’s increased minutes have translated into increased production, as she has averaged 13.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game during that span. Booker scored 19 points against Alabama, scored 15 points against the top-ranked Tigers (a figure that nearly doubles her season average at the time) and set a new career high with seven assists at Tennessee.
SLISKOVIC COMING AROUND
Forward Iva Sliskovic matched a season-high with 14 points against the Lady Vols last Thursday, equaling her previous season-high set against the same Tennessee squad on Jan. 27. Sliskovic added 10 points, six rebounds and four assists and matched a career-high with 39 minutes played in Carolina’s win over Alabama last Sunday. Since arriving on campus, Sliskovic has been a very important player for South Carolina, as the team’s winning percentage jumps drastically when she scores in double figures. Slisovic has reached double-figures in 20 games during her career. In those 20 games, South Carolina has compiled an 11-9 record.
SEC TOURNAMENT OPENER SET FOR CAROLINA
South Carolina will play the No. 5 seed at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 3 in the first round of the SEC Tournament played at the Bi-Lo Center. The Gamecocks are locked into the No. 12 spot by virtue of the conference’s tie-breaking procedure. The fifth seed is not yet set, so Carolina’s first-round opponent remains unknown.
SINGLE-SEASON SCHOOL BLOCKS RECORD FALLS
South Carolina ranks third in the SEC and among the leaders nationally in blocked shots. The Gamecocks have rejected 151 shots this year. USC’s previous single-season school record for blocks was 115, held by the Gamecocks of 2001-02.
MILESTONE WATCH FOR JOHNSON
With 46 blocked shots this season, sophomore forward Melanie Johnson took sole possession of fifth place on the South Carolina single-season blocks list in Carolina’s win over Alabama. She needs only two blocks to move into a tie for fourth on the single-season list with Petra Ujhelyi (2002-03) and three blocks to move into a tie for third with Michelle Murray (1991-92).
OUT OF WHACK STAT VS. ALABAMA
For only the second time this year, four different South Carolina players scored in double-figures against Alabama. Stacy Booker led the way with 19 points. Ilona Burgrova added 13 points, with Lea Fabbri and Iva Sliskovic chipping in with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Prior to last Sunday, the last time four different Gamecocks scored in double-figures against an SEC opponent was on Feb. 12, 2004, when five USC players scored in double-figures in last year’s win over Alabama
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.
YOUTH SHOWS IN CLOSE GAMES
South Carolina is 1-6 this year in games decided by 10 points or less and 1-15 in games decided by less than 20 points. Dating back to last year, the Gamecocks have lost 11 of their last 12 games decided by 10 points or less and 26 of their last 27 games decided by less than 20 points.
STARTING LINEUPS LIKE FINGERPRINTS…NO TWO ARE ALIKE
South Carolina has fielded 12 different starting lineups this season. With the exception of team-manager-turned-shooting-guard Ebony Jones, every player on the active roster has started at least three games this year. Lauren Simms is the only player to start in every game.
SUPER SUNDAY ATTENDANCE
A crowd of 5,112 fans was on hand to watch the Gamecocks face Auburn on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 6, marking the largest home crowd Carolina has played in front of all season. In fact, the figure was the third-highest ever for a women’s game at the Colonial Center and the seventh highest in school history.
3FGM STREAK REMAINS INTACT AT 115
The Gamecocks have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 115 consecutive games during a streak that dates back to November of 2001 and is the longest such streak in school history.
WHAT’S NEXT
South Carolina puts a cap on the regular season when it travels to Oxford, Miss., to square off against Ole Miss at 3 p.m. (EST) Sunday at C.M. Tad Smith Coliseum. Sunday’s game will be broadcast live on WISW 1320-AM with Andy Demetra handling play-by-play and Robin Muller providing analysis.
