March 13, 2006

Columbia, S.C. –

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The South Carolina women’s basketball team (17-11 overall; 7-7 Southeastern Conference) accepted a bid to the Women’s NIT Monday and travels to Cincinnati to face Xavier (20-8; 11-5 Atlantic 10) in the opening round of the tournament this Friday. Tip off time will not be known until Tuesday for what will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

South Carolina’s return to the WNIT is a notable one, as the Gamecocks won the 1979 tournament (then-referred to as the NWIT) by claiming wins over California, Oregon and Drake. This year marks Carolina’s first return trip to the WNIT since its 1979 championship run.

“I’m excited for our kids because they are going to get to experience post-season basketball,” head coach Susan Walvius said. “They have worked hard for the opportunity to play in March and I am happy to see them in a position to be rewarded for that. With as many players as we have coming back, this is valuable experience.”

This year’s trip to the Women’s NIT marks South Carolina’s 14th appearance in a post-season national tournament, with Carolina compiling a 19-15 record in those tournaments.

To further add to the significance of the Gamecocks’ presence in the tournament, South Carolina’s men’s basketball team is the reigning NIT champion after cutting down the nets in Madison Square Garden last year.

The Gamecock women finished the 2005-06 regular season in strong fashion, winning seven of their last nine regular-season contests before getting upset by Auburn in the first round of the SEC Tournament. They are making their first post-season appearance since back-to-back NCAA Tournament trips in 2002 and 2003.

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 a bright spot. Adams earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team, with junior Melanie Johnson a second-team All-SEC honoree.

South Carolina has ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation for the majority of the year in each of the major defensive statistical rankings (scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, scoring margin, rebounding margin and blocked shots.) The Gamecocks rank in the top 25 in each of those categories this week as well and rank second in the nation in field goal percentage defense.

Carolina endured a brutal schedule to open the conference slate, facing No. 1 Tennessee, No. 3 LSU, No. 23 Vanderbilt and Kentucky in Lexington, but rebounded to finish the SEC season with a 7-7 record. Of the Gamecocks’ 11 losses, nine came at the hands of teams that have been ranked in the top 25 this year.

As for Xavier, the Musketeers finished fourth in the Atlantic 10, earning a bye in the first round of their conference tournament before falling to Saint Joseph’s in the quarterfinal round. Senior forward Tara Boothe is Xavier’s top player, as the first-team all-league pick leads the Atlantic 10 and ranks fourth in the nation with 21.6 points per game. Her 9.4 rebounds per game ranks second in the conference. Junior guard Suntana Granderson (15.4 points per game) was also a first-team all-conference selection.