Nov. 16, 2005

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THE BASICS
South Carolina (0-0; 0-0 Southeastern Conference) opens its 32nd season of competition in women’s basketball when it hosts High Point University at 7 p.m. on Nov. 18 at the Colonial Center.

TICKET INFORMATION
Ticket prices are seven dollars for adults, four dollars for children 18 and under and two dollars for each person attending as part of a group of 20 or more. Fans can purchase tickets by contacting the South Carolina ticket office at 1-800-4SC-FANS.

GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
“It’s show time” All fans who show a recent movie ticket stub will be admitted for two dollars.

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.

THE COACHES
Susan Walvius is in her ninth year at the helm of the South Carolina women’s basketball program and her 16th 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. 2005 Big South Coach of the Year Tooey Loy leads his alma mater into Columbia fresh off a 17-12 season a year ago. Loy was promoted to head coach of the Panther program in the spring of 2001 after serving as an assistant for six seasons. As a point guard on the High Point men’s team from 1990-93, he started all three years and averaged 8.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists during his career.

COACHING QUICK HITSSouth CarolinaSusan WalviusAlma Mater  Virginia Tech, 1986USC Record  114-117/9th yearOverall Record  212-218/16th year
High PointTooey LoyAlma Mater  High Point, 1994High Point Record   45-41/4th yearOverall Record  45-41/4th year

HISTORY IN SEASON OPENERS
Through the years, South Carolina has compiled a 21-10 record in season-openers and has won five of its last eight. Entering this season, the Gamecocks have opened their season at home only nine times, compiling a 7-2 mark in those contests.

SEASON OPENERS UNDER WALVIUSYear    Opponent    Result2004    at Washington   L, 53-652003    at Clemson  L, 99-1032002    Clemson W, 72-582001    Furman  W, 94-742000    at Rice L, 56-611999    Charlotte   W, 67-611998    at Florida A&M  W, 78-511997    at Appalachian State    W, 77-61

WALVIUS IN NON-CONFERENCE GAMES
Entering this year’s season opener against High Point, the Gamecocks have compiled an 80-39 record in regular-season non-conference games under Susan Walvius, including a 49-8 mark in non-conference games played in Columbia.

A CAROLINA WIN WOULD:
• Improve South Carolina’s record in season openers to 22-10. • Improve Susan Walvius’ record in non-conference home games to 50-8. • Mark Carolina’s eighth consecutive victory in a season-opener played in Columbia. • Bring South Carolina and High Point into a one-one tie in the all-time series between the two schools. High Point claimed a 69-68 victory in the first and only previous meeting between the two teams played in 1978.

A CAROLINA LOSS WOULD:
• Snap Carolina’s seven-game winning streak in season openers played in Columbia. • Move Susan Walvius to 49-9 all-time in regular-season non-conference home games. • Improve High Point’s record to 2-0 in the all-time series against South Carolina. High Point claimed a 69-68 victory in the first and only previous meeting between the two teams played in 1978.

PALMETTO STATE NATIVES DOT ROSTER
A total of seven native South Carolinians are included on the 2005-06 roster, including four players from the Gamecocks’ backyard of Columbia. Lauren Simms (Spring Valley HS), Angela Hunter (Columbia HS), Lakesha Tolliver (Dreher HS) and Brionna Dickerson (Heathwood Hall) all hail from Columbia, with Melanie Johnson (Barnwell HS), Ebony Jones (Aiken HS) and Demetress Adams (Lee Central HS) also staying in-state for college.

TURNING THE CORNER
After two years of fielding a roster comprised almost exclusively of freshmen and sophomores, Susan Walvius now has a roster loaded with game-tested players. Though forward Olga Gritsaeva is the only senior on the team, a total of eight juniors and one redshirt sophomore will take the court for Carolina in 2005-06. Experience is no longer an obstacle for the Gamecocks, rather, it is a strength.

CHARTING CAROLINA'S GAME EXPERIENCEPlayer  Games Played Games StartedOlga Gritsaeva 77  38Iva Sliskovic   57  50Lauren Simms 54  53Larissa Kulcsar 54  7Lea Fabbri 48  18Stacy Booker 48  12Shannel Harris 45  11Angela Hunter   29  8Melanie Johnson   28  9Ilona Burgrova 29  19Lakesha Tolliver 25  3Ebony Jones   1   0Total   495 228

ABOVE THE REST
When taking a look at the Carolina roster, it is not difficult to see that the Gamecocks have an extraordinary amount of tall players. A total of eight players are 6-0 or taller, with Carolina’s average height a robust 71.9 inches (just a shade under six feet). To put that height into a competitive perspective, the Gamecocks are the 15th-tallest team in the nation and the fifth-tallest team in the SEC behind national leader Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia and Alabama.

THE SWAT TEAM
Carolina’s height was a contributing factor to the Gamecocks shattering the single-season school record for blocked shots in 2004-05. Carolina swatted 176 shots on the season (6.1 per game), shattering the previous record of 115 blocks set in 2001-02.

JOHNSON LEADS THE SWAT TEAM
With 54 blocked shots last season, forward Melanie Johnson took sole possession of second place on the South Carolina single-season blocks list. She came just four blocks shy of Teresa Geter’s school record of 58, set in 2000-01.

CAROLINA PLAYER SINGLE-SEASON BLOCKS RECORDS1) 58   Teresa Geter, 2000-012) 54   Melanie Johnson, 2004-053) 53   Michelle Murray, 1990-914) 49   Michelle Murray, 1991-925) 48   Petra Ujhelyi, 2002-036) 45   Petra Ujhelyi, 2001-02

GETING IT DONE IN THE CLASSROOM
The past two academic years have been marked with excellence for the South Carolina women’s basketball team in the classroom, evidenced by the fact that the Gamecocks set a team record with a combined 3.347 grade point average during the spring, 2005 semester. Juniors Larissa Kulcsar and Lauren Simms both earned spots on the University’s President’s List for posting perfect 4.0 grade-point averages. In addition, senior Olga Gritsaeva and juniors Lea Fabbri and Shannel Harris were recognized with spots on the Dean’s List for GPAs above 3.5. Another two players, Ilona Burgrova and Lakesha Tolliver, also had GPAs above 3.0. Larissa Kulcsar was one of 50 USC Business Majors selected for the International Undergraduate Business Program. She participated in a Study Abroad Program in Germany this past summer. Olga Gritsaeva did her sport and entertainment practicum overseas this past summer and worked with teams from several countries. Her responsibilities took her to Europe, Asia and Northern Africa. A total of seven players earned spots on the SEC Winter Sports Academic Honor Roll in 2004-05, with Lea Fabbri, Olga Gritsaeva, Shannel Harris, Larissa Kulcsar, Lauren Simms, Iva Sliskovic and Lakesha Tolliver all receiving conference recognition.

FRESHMEN ARE STARS IN THE CLASSROOM AS WELL
A pair of the top high school players in the state of South Carolina join the Gamecock women’s basketball program in 2005-06, as former Lee Central star Demetress Adams and former Heathwood Hall phenom Brionna Dickerson will suit up this season. Though their talents on the court have been well-documented (the duo was rated as the 13th-best recruiting class in the nation by Blue Star Index, Adams was selected as the No. 31 senior and No. 10 post player in the nation by All-Star Girls Report and Dickerson averaged an eye-popping 40 points per game in high school and scored more than 3,400 points in a career that was cut short due to an injury early in her senior year), these two student-athletes are more than just gifted basketball players. They are gifted students. With her choice of schools, Dickerson chose to stay home and enroll in the Honors College at South Carolina. “The Honors College at South Carolina is right on the level of the Ivy League schools,” Dickerson said. “That is really one of the main reasons why I am coming to USC. It gives me an Ivy League experience with the opportunity to stay at home. The business school within the Honors College is number one among all public universities and only about 50 people per year get admitted, so I am excited for the opportunity.” As for Adams, the first-team all-state performer plans on earning her degree from South Carolina, then enrolling in law school with aspirations of opening up her own law firm and eventually becoming a judge. “I am very excited to come down to USC because it is a great school in a great location and a great city,” Adams said. “Academically, South Carolina does a great job of keeping its players focused on grades and keeping them on the right track in the classroom.”

COMMON THREADS IN ALL OF CAROLINA’S 2004-05 WINS
All eight of South Carolina’s wins last year had the following in common: • All were played at the Colonial Center. • The Gamecocks did not trail at halftime • Carolina had a higher shooting percentage from the field than the opponent. • Carolina outrebounded the opponent. • No Gamecock player fouled out. • Carolina scored more points in the paint than the opponent. • The opponent did not score more points off turnovers than USC. • The Gamecocks scored more second-chance points than the opponent. • The Gamecocks scored 60 or more points.

SLISKOVIC A KEY DIFFERENCE-MAKER
Since arriving on campus, Iva Sliskovic has been a very important player for South Carolina, as the team’s winning percentage jumps drastically when she scores in double figures. Sliskovic has reached double-figures in 22 games during her career. In those 22 games, South Carolina has compiled a 12-10 record. When Sliskovic scores less than 10 points, the Gamecocks have compiled a 6-29 mark.

3FGM STREAK REMAINS INTACT AT 118
The Gamecocks have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 118 consecutive games during a streak that dates back to November of 2001 and is the longest such streak in school history.

NEW FACES ON COACHING STAFF
Tammy Holder and Ken Griffin are the two newest additions to the Carolina coaching staff, as both were appointed to assistant coach spots this off-season. Holder came to Carolina from Cal State Northridge, where she was recognized as the Big West Coach of the Year in 2005 after leading the Matadors to an 18-win season as the head coach. Griffin is in his first year as a collegiate coach, but is a well-known figure on the AAU circuit as the director of scouting for Southeast Roundball Journal from September of 2004 until the time he joined the Carolina staff.

WHAT’S NEXT
The Gamecocks return to action on Nov. 20 when they host Winthrop at 3:30 p.m. in the Colonial Center. The game is the second half of a doubleheader with the Carolina men’s team, who plays host to Toledo at 1:30 p.m.