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Dec. 18, 2005

THE BASICS
South Carolina (5-3 overall) plays the fourth game in a stretch of five home games in nine days when it hosts Savannah State (1-10 overall) at 7 p.m. Monday at the Colonial Center.

GAMEDAY PROMOTION
Monday’s game is camper night. Fans coming in wearing camp tee-shirts are 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.

COACHING QUICK HITS
South Carolina
Susan Walvius
Alma Mater Virginia Tech, 1986
USC Record 119-120/9th year
Overall Record 218-221/16th year

Savannah State
Cedric W. Baker
Alma Mater Voorhees College,1990
Savannah St. Record 13-52/3rd year
Overall Record 13-52/3rd year

SAVANNAH STATE FROM A DISTANCE
Savannah State has struggled in the early going this season, dropping 10 of its first 11 games, including a 106-34 drubbing at the hands of Georgia on December 10. Sophomore forward Shaunte Carter has been a leader on the stat sheet for a Savannah State team that fields a roster loaded with nine newcomers. Savannah State is a Division I independent.

WALVIUS IN NON-CONFERENCE GAMES
Entering Monday’s game, the Gamecocks have compiled an 85-42 record in regular-season non-conference games under Susan Walvius, including a 54-9 mark in non-conference games played in Columbia.

A CAROLINA WIN WOULD:
• Improve Susan Walvius’ record to 55-9 all-time in non-conference games played at home. • Improve Carolina to 6-0 all-time in games played against Division I independents. • Mark the Gamecocks’ first four-game winning streak since Carolina won eight straight during the non-conference portion of the 2003-04 schedule.

A CAROLINA LOSS WOULD:
• Move Susan Walvius to 54-10 all-time in non-conference games played at home. • Snap the Gamecocks’ five-game winning streak against Division I independents.

USC DEFENSE AMONG NATION’S BEST
The Gamecocks lead the SEC and rank second in the most recent NCAA rankings by holding the opposition to .311 shooting from the field. Carolina also ranks among the top 30 teams in the nation in blocked shots (fifth/7.3 bpg), scoring defense (21st/51.9 opp. ppg) and steals (21st/13.6 spg).

SPEAKING OF DEFENSE…
Through South Carolina’s first eight games (three of which came against ranked opponents in Texas, Purdue and Minnesota), no opposing team has shot 40 percent from the field. The Golden Gophers own the highest field goal percentage yielded by the Gamecocks this year at 39.6 percent, but the majority of Minnesota’s conversions came after the game was well out of reach, evidenced by the fact that the Gophers were shooting only 28.6 percent at the half. Carolina limited High Point to only 20.0 percent shooting from the field in the season opener, a mark that ranks as the fourth-lowest total for an opponent in Gamecock history. When Carolina limited South Carolina State to 22.6 percent shooting from the field last game, it marked the third time this season that the Gamecocks have held the opponent under 30 percent shooting from the field.

SUBS IN
A glimpse at South Carolina’s last three box scores illustrates a clear adjustment made by the Gamecock coaching staff, namely, more players are playing more minutes. In Carolina’s win over Minnesota, no player was on the floor for more than 27 minutes, with nine different players seeing 11 minutes of action or more. In the Gamecocks’ win over Ohio two nights later, no player was on the floor for more than 22 minutes, with 10 players playing 11 minutes or more. When the Gamecocks rolled over South Carolina State, no player was on the floor longer than 22 minutes, with 11 players playing 10 minutes or more.

HIDDEN SPECIALTY STATS HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE
Though specialty stats are usually buried at the bottom of a box score, they have proven to be an indicator of Carolina’s success this season. In each of the Gamecocks’ five wins, they have held the advantage in all four of the specialty stats categories (points in the paint, points off turnovers, second-chance points and fast-break points).

MELANIE MAGIC
During the course of her two-year career, the performance of Melanie Johnson usually has a large impact on the success of the Gamecocks, and a examination of her career stats certainly demonstrate as much. • When Johnson records a double-double, the Gamecocks are 6-1. • When Johnson scores 10 or more points, the Gamecocks are 9-3. • When Johnson grabs 10 or more rebounds, the Gamecocks are 6-4 • When Johnson makes five or more steals, the Gamecocks are 6-0. • When Johnson leads the team in scoring, the Gamecocks are 4-3. • When Johnson leads the team in assists, the Gamecocks are 4-0.

COMMON THREADS IN CAROLINA’S FIVE WINS THIS YEAR
• The Gamecocks were playing at home. • The Gamecocks led at the half. • The opponent shot less than 40 percent from the field. • The Gamecocks had equal or less turnovers than the opponent. • The Gamecocks attempted more free throws than three-pointers. • No Carolina player fouled out of the game. • The Gamecocks scored more points in the paint than the opponent. • The Gamecocks scored more points off turnovers than the opponent. • The Gamecocks scored more second-chance points than the opponent. • The Gamecocks had more fast break points than the opponent. • The final margin of victory was more than 10 points. • The Gamecocks scored 70 or more points.

WHAT’S NEXT
The Gamecocks host Bethune Cookman at 7 p.m. on Wed., Dec. 21 at the Colonial Center. The game will be broadcast live on WISW 1320-AM with Andy Demetra handling play-by-play and Robin Muller providing analysis.