Nov. 28, 2005

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THE BASICS
South Carolina (2-2; 0-0 Southeastern Conference) returns home for a matchup against Georgia Southern (0-3; 0-0 Southern Conference) set to tip off at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Colonial Center.

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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 go to the women’s basketball home page and click on “Schedule/Results”. At the top of the page is a link for Audio Broadcasts. Click on that link, then select the game you wish 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. Georgia Southern mentor Rusty Cram is in his 10th year at the helm of the Lady Eagles. He has been a part of five Southern Conference championships during his time in Statesboro, including two regular season titles as a head coach in 1997-98 and 2000-01, and two trips to the NCAA Tournament. Cram earned SoCon Coach of the Year honors after the 2000-01 and 1997-98 seasons with each award coming after leading GSU to a league crown.

COACHING QUICK HITS
South Carolina Susan Walvius Alma Mater Virginia Tech, 1986 USC Record 116-119/9th year Overall Record 214-220/16th year

Georgia Southern
Rusty Cram Alma Mater Louisiana Tech, 1985 Ga. Southern Record 143-118/10th year Overall Record 143-118/10th year

A QUICK LOOK AT GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Georgia Southern is off to an 0-3 start this year with losses coming at the hands of Florida State, Middle Tennessee and Louisville. The Lady Eagles have struggled with turnovers, giving the ball away 24 times per game through their first three contests. Each of the Lady Eagles’ first 12 games this season will be played on the road, with Georgia Southern not playing its first home game until Jan. 7.

WALVIUS IN NON-CONFERENCE GAMES
Entering Tuesday’s game, the Gamecocks have compiled an 82-41 record in regular-season non-conference games under Susan Walvius, including a 51-8 mark in non-conference games played in Columbia.

A CAROLINA WIN WOULD:
• Extend South Carolina’s winning streak over teams from the Southern Conference to 24 games. The Gamecocks’ last loss to a team from the SoCon was a 101-84 defeat at the hands of Furman in 1995. • Extend the Gamecocks’ winning streak over Georgia Southern to 14 games. The Lady Eagles’ last win over South Carolina was a 91-51 victory in 1980. • Improve Susan Walvius’ record to 52-8 all-time in non-conference games played at home. • Put the Gamecocks back over the .500 mark for the season. • Improve the Gamecocks’ record to 18-1 all-time against Georgia Southern. • Improve the Gamecocks’ record to 72-17 all-time against teams from the Southern Conference.

A CAROLINA LOSS WOULD:
• Snap South Carolina’s 23-game winning streak against teams from the Southern Conference. The Gamecocks’ last loss to a team from the SoCon was a 101-84 defeat at the hands of Furman in 1995. • Snap Carolina’s 13-game winning streak against Georgia Southern. The Lady Eagles’ last win over South Carolina was a 91-51 victory in 1980. • Move Susan Walvius to 51-9 all-time in non-conference games played at home. • Move South Carolina to 17-2 all-time against Georgia Southern. • Move South Carolina to 71-18 all-time against teams from the SoCon.

DEFENSIVE MINDED
The Gamecocks limited High Point and Winthrop to a combined .246 shooting percentage and forced an average of 24.5 turnovers per game in holding the two teams to an average of 38.5 points per game in their first two games of the year. Carolina’s defensive success continued in the Bahamas, as the Gamecocks held Texas to .317 shooting from the field and limited Purdue to .358 shooting from the field. On the year, Carolina has held the opposition to an SEC-best .291 shooting.

DEFENSE TURNS IN ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
When South Carolina defeated High Point, 71-35 to open the season, the Gamecocks established new Colonial Center facility records for least points allowed in a single game (35), lowest opponent field goal percentage (.200 pct.), and fewest field goals made in a game (12).

POINTS OFF TURNOVERS A STAT TO WATCH
Through the first two games of the season, Carolina owned a 55-20 advantage in points off turnovers, which was a significant contributor to the Gamecocks’ victories over High Point and Winthrop. The stat held true in the Bahamas, as Texas held a 22-13 advantage in points off turnovers en route to its 59-55 win over Carolina, with Purdue holding a 23-11 advantage in points off turnovers en route to a 56-48 win.

COMMON THREADS IN CAROLINA’S TWO WINS THIS YEAR
• The Gamecocks were playing at home. • At least three Carolina players scored in double figures. • The Gamecocks made more free throws than the opponent. • The Gamecocks had equal or less turnovers than the opponent. • The Gamecocks scored more points off turnovers than the opponent. • The Gamecocks had more fast break points than the opponent. • The final margin of victory was more than 20 points. • The Gamecocks scored 70 or more points.

OFFENSIVE MISCUES SPOIL UPSET BIDS
South Carolina played a pair of close games against ranked opponents at the Junkanoo Jam, but came home without any wins thanks in large part to an excessive amount of turnovers and missed free throws. The Gamecocks missed 13 free throws and turned the ball over 27 times in a four-point loss to No. 18 Texas then proceeded to miss 11 of 20 free throws and commit 28 turnovers in an eight-point loss to No. 19 Purdue.

SLISKOVIC A SILENT ASSASSIN
Junior Iva Sliskovic isn’t a player that will score 30 points per game, but she her contributions to the team are undeniable. Through four games this season, Sliskovic averages a team-best 10.3 points to go with 7.0 rebounds per game. Playing at the power forward position, she leads the team with 11 assists. She leads the team with 11 blocks and has made six steals. Her 120 minutes played (30.0 per game) also lead the team. Among the seven Carolina players who have played at least 60 minutes this season, she has committed the fewest turnovers (10). Fittingly, a statistical category doesn’t even exist for one of her greatest strengths, as Sliskovic is the Gamecocks’ best help defender and has a way of disrupting the flow of the opposing teams’ interior offense.

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 25 games during her career. In those 25 games, South Carolina has compiled a 13-12 record. When Sliskovic scores less than 10 points, the Gamecocks have compiled a 7-29 mark.

ADAMS A NAME TO REMEMBER
South Carolina freshman Demetress Adams came to USC as one of the top post players in the state last year and has not disappointed early on. The Lee Central HS graduate recorded a double-double in her first game at the collegiate level, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 boards against High Point. She came back to score a game-high 17 points and grab nine rebounds in Carolina’s next game against Winthrop. Through her first four games, she averages 10.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. She has blocked seven shots and made 10 steals.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE THREAT
Junior Melanie Johnson is without question one of the best athletes on the team and is a threat to record a double-double on any given night. After notching six double-doubles last season, it only took her two games to post her first of the 2005-06 campaign, as she scored 15 points and collected a game-high 13 rebounds in the Gamecocks’ win over Winthrop. Johnson scored eight points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had four steals against Purdue.

NEEDING MORE FROM THE BACKCOURT
Carolina’s three primary guards, Lauren Simms, Stacy Booker and Lea Fabbri, have combined to convert on 27 of 79 attempts from the field (.342 pct.), and eight of 30 attempts from three-point range (.267 pct.). Meanwhile, the trio has combined to commit 38 turnovers (9.5 per game).

PALMETTO STATE NATIVES DOT CAROLINA ROSTER
A total of seven native South Carolinians are included on the 2005-06 Gamecock roster, including four players from Carolina’s 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.

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.

GETTING 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 STAR 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.”

3FGM STREAK REMAINS INTACT AT 122
The Gamecocks have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 122 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 break for final exams and do not return to action until they face perennial Big Ten contender Minnesota at 7 p.m. on Dec. 13. The game will be broadcast live on WISW 1320-AM with Andy Demetra handling play-by-play and Robin Muller providing analysis.