Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Jan. 25, 2006
THE BASICS
The South Carolina women’s basketball team is back home opens a brief two-game homestand when it hosts Georgia 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.
For listeners outside of Columbia, the live radio broadcast will also be aired worldwide via the internet on the official web site of South Carolina athletics, www.uscsports.com.
Thursday’s game will be televised live by Comcast Sports Southeast, with Matt Stewart handling play-by-play and Robin Muller providing analysis.
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.
GAMEDAY PROMOTION
All fans showing a military ID will be admitted for only $2.
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 head coach Andy Landers is in his 27th season at the helm of the Lady Bulldog program, where he has led Georgia to five Final Fours and seven SEC championships. Landers is three wins away from becoming the third coach to win 650 games at one school. He started his coaching career at Roane State in 1975 and coached there for four seasons before taking the head job at Georgia.
COACHING QUICK HITS
South Carolina
Susan Walvius
Alma Mater Virginia Tech, 1986
USC Record 124-124/9th year
Overall Record 222-225/16th year
Georgia
Andy Landers
Alma Mater Tennessee Tech, 1974
Georgia Record 647-204/27th year
Overall Record 729-225/31st year
STRENGTH VS. STRENGTH
Thursday’s game features an interesting contrast in that Georgia ranks among the SEC and national leaders in scoring offense (73.9 ppg), field goal percentage (.448 pct.) and three-point field goal percentage (.363 pct.), whereas South Carolina ranks among the SEC and NCAA’s best in terms of scoring defense (53.5 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.329 pct.) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.277 pct.)
SOMETHING’S GOT TO GIVE
Georgia has not shot below 35.8 percent from the field in a game this year. South Carolina, meanwhile, has held 10 different opponents to 35.8 percent shooting or less. On the year, the Gamecocks have limited eight different opponents to 30.0 percent shooting or less from the field, including a 28.3 percent shooting effort from Alabama in Tuscaloosa last game.
CAROLINA FROM A DISTANCE
Height, experience, defense and balanced scoring are the name of the game for South Carolina, as the Gamecocks boast eight players that stand 6-0 or taller and rank as the 15th-tallest team in the nation. Carolina’s roster is dotted by eight juniors and one senior, but freshman Demetress Adams has emerged as an early bright spot, ranking among the team leaders in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and steals.
The Gamecocks have endured a brutal schedule to open the conference slate, facing No. 1 Tennessee, No. 3 LSU, No. 23 Vanderbilt and Kentucky in Lexington.
GEORGIA FROM A DISTANCE
Coming off a narrow 65-64 loss to No. 3 LSU last Sunday, Georgia enters Thursday’s battle with South Carolina owning a 13-5 overall record and a 3-2 mark in the Southeastern Conference.
Star forward Tasha Humphrey averages 20.4 points and 8.9 boards per game, with guard Sherill Baker good for 17.8 points and an eye-popping 5.2 steals per game.
COMMON OPPONENTS; SAVANNAH STATE, TENNESSEE, LSU
South Carolina and Georgia share Savannah State, Tennessee and LSU as common opponents. The Gamecocks handed Savannah State a 94-37 drubbing, with the Lady Bulldogs coming in with a 106-34 pounding of the Lady Tigers.
Tennessee defeated South Carolina and Georgia, with the Lady Vols claiming a 66-51 win over the Gamecocks and a 94-85 win over the Lady Bulldogs. LSU handed Carolina a 79-46 defeat and edged Georgia, 65-64.
A CAROLINA WIN WOULD:
>> Mark the Gamecocks’ ninth win in their last 13 games, with the lone losses coming to top-ranked Tennessee, No. 3 LSU, No. 23 Vanderbilt and at Kentucky.
>> Snap a five-game Carolina losing streak against UGA and mark the Gamecocks’ first win over Georgia since the 2002 season, when Carolina claimed a pair of wins over the Lady Bulldogs.
>> Mark Carolina’s fifth win over Georgia all time, with three of the wins coming in Columbia.
>> Give the Gamecocks their 11th win this season, marking Carolina’s highest win total since the Gamecocks went 23-8 in the 2002-03 season.
>> Mark the Gamecocks’ second win over a ranked opponent this year. South Carolina handed then-No. 14 Minnesota a 79-61 defeat on Dec. 13 at the Colonial Center.
>> Mark the Gamecocks’ third win over a team that played in last year’s NCAA Tournament, as Carolina claimed the aforementioned win over Minnesota in addition to a 95-53 win over reigning Southern Conference-champion Western Carolina.
ROUGH SCHEDULE TO OPEN SEC PLAY
Carolina’s first four SEC games were played against No. 1 Tennessee, No. 3 LSU, No. 19 Vanderbilt and at Kentucky. The combined record of those four teams is 61-12.
Consequently, the Gamecocks got off to an 0-4 start in the league.
GAMECOCKS GETTING DEFENSIVE
Through South Carolina’s first 17 games, only Tennessee, Kentucky and LSU have shot 40 percent or better from the field.
Carolina established school records by limiting Bethune-Cookman to only seven points in the first half and 26 points in the game, with the Gamecocks matching a school record by limiting Bethune-Cookman to 14.0 percent shooting from the field (8-of-57).
The Gamecocks have limited eight different opponents to either 30 percent shooting from the field or lower this year.
THE BENCH MOB
Through South Carolina’s first 17 games, the Gamecock bench averages 35.6 points per game against 16.4 points per game from the opponent’s bench.
During South Carolina’s seven-game winning streak that recently ended, the Gamecocks’ non-starters combined to average 46.1 points per game, whereas the opposition’s non-starters combined to average 9.3 points per contest.
INDIVIDUAL PLAYER TRENDS OF NOTE
>> Lea Fabbri has dished out either more or equal assists than she has committed turnovers in 11 of the last 12 games.
>> Ilona Burgrova has converted on 19 of her last 28 field goal attempts during the last seven games (67.9 pct.)
>> Stacy Booker has drained a three-pointer in each of her last 12 games.
>> Lauren Simms has averaged 11.4 points per game since SEC play started. To put that figure into perspective, she averaged 7.3 points per game prior to the start of conference play.
COMMON THREADS IN CAROLINA’S WINS
>> The Gamecocks led at the half.
>> The opponent shot less than 40 percent from the field.
>> 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 18 points or more.
COMMON THREADS IN CAROLINA’S LOSSES
>> The opponent’s starting five outscored Carolina’s starting five.
>> The Gamecocks had equal or less free throws made than the opponent.
>> The Gamecocks scored 66 points or less.
3FGM STREAK REMAINS INTACT AT 135
The Gamecocks have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 135 consecutive games during a streak that dates back to November of 2001 and is the longest such streak in school history.
WHAT’S NEXT
Carolina is back in action when it hosts Arkansas at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 29 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. Fox Sports South will televise Sunday’s game, with Bernie Guenther handling play-by-play and Van Chancellor providing analysis.
