Feb. 9, 2007

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The Basics
South Carolina (14-11 overall; 4-6 Southeastern Conference) travels down the road to take on No. 9 Georgia (20-5 overall; 7-3 SEC) at 3 p.m. Sunday at Stegeman Coliseum.

Game Televised By CSS
Sunday’s game will be televised live by Comcast Sports Southeast with Joe Block handling play-by-play and Joe Ciampi providing analysis.

Gamecock Fan Bus Heading To Athens
South Carolina fans can board the Gamecock fan bus departing from the Colonial Center at 11 a.m. Sunday. The cost for the round trip plus admission to the game is $30. Contact Dawn Ellerbe in the South Carolina Marketing Department at 803-777-5567 or via email at dawne@gwm.sc.edu for details. Approximately 15 seats remain available on the bus. Fans will be allowed on the bus on a first-come, first-served basis.

Series History
Georgia owns a 25-4 all-time series advantage over South Carolina which includes an 11-1 advantage in games played in Athens. South Carolina’s lone win on Georgia’s home turf was a 71-64 triumph in 2002. The Bulldogs have won each of the last six meetings between the two schools, the most recent of which was a 74-65 victory over the Gamecocks in Columbia last year. Georgia has controlled the series since 1994, winning 14 of the 16 head-to-head matchups since the 1993-94 season.

On The Air
The game will be broadcast live on WISW 1320 AM Radio in Columbia, with Brad Heller handling play-by-play duties and Robin Muller providing analysis. For fans outside of the Columbia area, the game can be accessed worldwide via the internet at uscsports.com.

About The Coaches
South Carolina Head Coach Susan Walvius is in her 10th year at the helm of the Gamecock women’s basketball program. The 2002 SEC Coach of the Year, Walvius led the Gamecocks to the Elite Eight in 2002 and has guided Carolina to the postseason in three of the last five seasons. She has attracted top-15 recruiting classes to Carolina in 2003 (10th) and in 2005 (13th). Georgia head coach Andy Landers is in his 28th season at the helm of the Lady Bulldog program, where he has led Georgia to five Final Fours and seven SEC championships. Last season, Landers became only 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.

Georgia From A Distance
Georgia rolls into Sunday’s game as a winner in six of its seven games, with the lone exception being a 73-57 defeat at Tennessee. The Bulldogs bounced back with a 92-51 thumping of Alabama in Tuscaloosa last game. From a statistical standpoint, Georgia is not spectacular in any of the team categories, but is very good across the board. The Bulldogs shoot the ball well from the field and from three-point range and do a good job of keeping their turnover numbers down. Tasha Humphrey and Cori Chambers comprise a productive inside-outside combination, with Humphrey averaging 15.6 points and 7.8 rebounds and Chambers averaging 13.6 points per game on .404 pct shooting from three-point range.

Georgia Is Carolina’s Fifth Top-10 Opponent This Year
Ranked No. 9 in this week’s Associated Press poll, Georgia is the fifth top-10 opponent South Carolina has faced this year, as the Gamecocks hosted No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 7 LSU at the Colonial Center and went on the road to face No. 3 Tennessee and No. 10 Stanford. The Gamecocks faced seven top-10 opponents in 1989-90, faced six top-10 foes in 1990-91 and went toe-to-toe with five top-10 opponents during the 2000-01 campaign.

A South Carolina Win Over Georgia Would…
:: Snap Georgia’s six-game winning streak over South Carolina that dates back to a 64-59 Carolina victory in 2002.
:: Give the Gamecocks their 15th win on the year and guarantee that Carolina would finish the regular season with a winning record.
:: Mark the Gamecocks’ fourth win in their last six SEC games, as Carolina has knocked off Florida, Kentucky and Arkansas but lost to Tennessee and LSU.
:: Mark the Gamecocks’ first win over a ranked opponent since a 79-61 victory over No. 14 Minnesota last year.
:: Mark the Gamecocks’ first win over a team ranked in the top 10 since a 71-52 victory over No. 6 Vanderbilt in 2002.

Gamecocks In The Top 25 Nationally
Entering the Georgia game, South Carolina ranks among the top 25 teams nationally in rebounding margin (8th; +9.8), blocked shots (9th; 5.96 per game), steals (11th; 12.24 per game) and field goal percentage defense (25th; .362 pct.)

South Carolina 101; Intro To The Gamecocks
Experience, height and depth are the name of the game for South Carolina. The Gamecocks are the most experienced team in the nation in terms of game experience as the 13-player active roster boasts seven seniors, a redshirt junior and a pair of true juniors. A total of seven different South Carolina players stand 6-feet-tall or above. The Gamecocks are the second-tallest team in the SEC behind Auburn and the 14th-tallest team in the nation. No South Carolina player averages a double-figure scoring total, but six different Gamecocks score between 6.2 and 9.6 points per game.

Simms Climbing South Carolina Scoring Chart
Senior guard Lauren Simms became the 26th member of South Carolina’s 1,000-point club when she drained a baseline jumper in the second half of South Carolina’s game against LSU on Jan. 7. In reaching the 1,000-point mark, Simms became the sixth Columbia native to score 1,000 points during her career with the hometown Gamecocks, joining Brantley Southers (1,982 points from 1981-86), Martha Parker (1,728 points from 1985-89), Shaunzinski Gortman (1,367 points from 1998-2002), Lisa Diaz (1,249 points from 1986-90) and Marsi McAlister (1,160 points from 1981-85). Of the 26 players currently in the Gamecocks’ 1,000-point club, 16 are South Carolina natives. Simms enters the Georgia game with 1,026 career points, a mark that puts her 24th on South Carolina’s all-time scoring list. Simms needs 30 points to match Rita Johnson (1,056 points scored from 1977-81) for 23rd on Carolina’s career scoring chart.

Tolliver Brings Blocks Streak Into Georgia Game
Junior forward Lakesha Tolliver enters the Georgia game having blocked at least one shot in each of her last 18 games. Tolliver has rejected more than one shot in a game in 13 of her last 15 games played.

Tolliver Forces Opponents To Deal With Rejection
Lakesha Tolliver has blocked 116 shots in her career and is tied with Petra Ujhelyi (116 blocked shots from 2000-03) for second place on the all-time Carolina list. Michelle Murray (148 blocked shots from 1989-93) is the school record holder. Tolliver still has one full year of eligibility remaining, so she has a legitimate shot at eclipsing Murray’s record.

More From Tolliver
Lakesha Tolliver matched a career high when she scored 19 points in Carolina’s win at Arkansas on Thursday. The Columbia native added five rebounds, four blocks and two steals against the Razorbacks as well in only 21 minutes of action.

Noting South Carolina’s Schedule
The Gamecocks are 14-11 on the year, with their 11 losses coming at the hands of teams that have combined to post a 200-67 record (.749 winning pct.) A closer look at the teams who beat South Carolina this year:

Opponent Record (As of 2/9)
at Penn State…… 12-12
Louisiana-Lafayette…… 19-7
at NC State…… 18-7
No. 3 Oklahoma…… 18-3
at Kentucky…… 16-9
at No. 10 Stanford…… 20-4
No. 14 Vanderbilt…… 20-4
at No. 24 Ole Miss…… 18-7
at Mississippi State…… 15-9
at No. 3 Tennessee…… 22-2
No. 7 LSU…… 22-3
Combined Record…… 200-67 (.749 win pct.)