Feb. 27, 2008

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Last Time Out
South Carolina battled to a 69-65 victory over Florida at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Sunday afternoon. The Gamecocks used aggressive defense and solid free throw shooting down the stretch to pick up their first road SEC win of the season. After the Gators pushed back late in the second half, junior Demetress Adams helped seal the victory with a critical offensive rebound and two free throws in the final 10 seconds. Freshman Samone Kennedy collected a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists.

Series Notes
Georgia leads the series 26-4 and has won the last seven meetings. The Lady Bulldogs have been ranked in the top 20 for all but one of those contests. South Carolina’s last win in the series came in a 64-59 decision on Feb. 28, 2002, in the Colonial Center to complete the season sweep of Georgia. The Gamecocks are 2-12 all time against the Lady Bulldogs in Columbia.

Suddenly Susan
Head coach Susan Walvius is in her 11th season as the Gamecocks’ mentor with a 163-157 record. She has led South Carolina to two NCAA Tournaments and two WNITs, including an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2001-02. Her players have also excelled in the classroom. In 2006-07, 10 Gamecocks appeared on the SEC Winter Sports Academic Honor Roll. In the last four years, South Carolina has placed more student-athletes on that list than any other school. Walvius has an 18-year career mark of 261-258.

A South Carolina Win Would …

• Be the program’s first over a team ranked in the top 25 since a 79-61 victory over No. 14 Minnesota on Dec. 13, 2005.
• Be the Gamecocks’ first over Georgia since Feb. 28, 2002.
• Give the Gamecocks a 12-5 record this season at the Colonial Center.
• Improve Susan Walvius’ SEC regular-season record to 51-102.

20/10 Vision
With 10 assists at Florida, Samone Kennedy became the first freshman Gamecock in more than 20 years to post double-digit helpers. The top four freshman performances in school history are held by Martha Parker, who dished the record 14 against Charlotte on Jan. 18, 1986. She posted three other double-digit assist games, the last coming against Central Florida on Feb. 17, 1986, when she collected 11. Kennedy completed her first double-double of the season with that effort at Florida, adding 10 points to her final stat line.

Triple Threat
After a 2006-07 season that ended with no Gamecocks averaging double-figure points, three players are currently at the mark this season. Freshman Jordan Jones leads the way with 12.3 ppg, while junior forward Demetress Adams is second at 11.3 ppg. Junior guard Brionna Dickerson rounds out the group at 10.0 ppg. Senior Ilona Burgrova is just outside the mark with 9.6 ppg.

Balancing Act
After a 2006-07 campaign that saw the Gamecock frontcourt carrying the load, South Carolina’s offense this season has been more of a balance between inside and outside play. The inside quartet of Demetress Adams (304 pts), Ilona Burgrova (259 pts), Jewel May (87 pts) and Lakesha Tolliver (183 pts) has provided 30.85 of the teams 65.4 points per game (47.2%). Last season, the frontcourt accounted for 39.5 of the team’s 68.6 ppg (57.8%).

Dropping Dimes
Freshman Samone Kennedy has handed out 3.54 assists per game this season to rank sixth in the SEC, and she has accomplished the feat as the only player in the league’s top 10 averaging less than 25 minutes per game. In fact, Kennedy, who has played 18.6 minutes per game, hands out an assist every 5.26 minutes she is on the floor, which is the best number among the group. The next closest is the league’s assist/game leader, Shantell Black, who picks up an assist every 5.87 minutes she plays. Kennedy is also among the league’s top 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking seventh with a 1.44:1 mark.

Prime Time Players
South Carolina has played four teams ranked in the top 10 in the nation. While the Gamecocks lost all four contests, senior Ilona Burgrova and junior Demetress Adams showed they can match up with the best. The duo accounted for 87 of the team’s 187 points (46.5 percent) against the top-10 foes with each including a double-double among her accomplishments. Burgrova, who scored 15 or more points in two contests, has scored 11.5 points per game on 58.6 percent shooting against the top-10 foes. Adams has averaged 10.3 points and 7.0 rebounds.

A Leader in the Board Room
Junior Demetress Adams’ record-setting performance against Arkansas helped move her into fourth place in the SEC with 9.1 rebounds per game. She has spent the entire season among the league’s top 10 and, through games of Feb. 24, ranked 46th in the nation in the category. Adams has posted double-digit rebounds in 11 games this season, including four of the last six outings.

Stop! Thief!
Junior Demetress Adams is eighth in the SEC with 2.30 steals per game. Hovering around the league’s elite in the category, she has picked an opponent’s pocket four or more times in six games this season, including a career-high six steals at Clemson on Dec. 22. Georgia’s Ashley Houts leads the SEC at 2.89 steals per game. With 62 steals this season, Adams has already surpassed her previous career-best of 52, which she collected last season. She needs 14 more to crack the program’s single-season top 10 as both Annie Lester (1997-98) and Martha Parker (1986-87) round out that list with 76 swipes.

It’s a Block Party!
Through games of Feb. 24, South Carolina was 22nd in the nation with 4.96 blocked shots per game, a number that is third in the SEC to Tennessee’s 6.11 per game and Auburn’s 5.15. All three teams trail North Carolina’s NCAA-best 7.2 blocks per game. Individually, junior Demetress Adams leads the team with 48 blocks this season, ranking her sixth in the SEC (1.78 per game) and tied for sixth in school history. Senior Lakesha Tolliver has swatted away 2.05 blocks per game to rank third in the league in that category.
Single-Season Blocked Shots
1. 60 by Lakesha Tolliver (2006-07)
2. 58 by Teresa Geter (2000-01)
3. 54 by Melanie Johnson (2004-05)
4. 53 by Michelle Murray (1990-91)
5. 49 by Michelle Murray (1991-92)
6. 48 by Demetress Adams (2007-08); by Petra Ujhelyi (2002-03)

Long Distance Plan
Freshman Jordan Jones is 14th in the nation with an SEC-best 2.74 3-pointers per game. Sade Logan of Robert Morris has hit an NCAA-best 3.9 per game from beyond the arc. Jones has hit 74 baskets from long range for South Carolina this season to already rank among the program’s all-time top 10 in the category.
Single-Season 3-Pointers Made
1. 115 by Karen Middleton (1990-91)
2. 84 by Christi Timmons (1991-92)
3. 82 by Shannon Johnson (1995-96)
4. 81 by Kelly Morrone (2003-04)
5. 79 by Christi Timmons (1993-94)
6. 76 by Karen Middleton (1989-90)
7. 75 by Karen Middleton (1987-88)
8. 74 by Jordan Jones (2007-08)

From Way Downtown – Bang!
Freshman Jordan Jones is third in the SEC with 37.4 percent accuracy from behind the arc. Vanderbilt’s Christina Wirth leads the SEC shooting 43.7 percent from 3-point range. Karen Middleton holds the South Carolina record for 3-point field goal percentage by a freshman after hitting 43.4 percent (75-of-163) in 1987-88. Middleton holds the four best 3-point percentages in school history, including the record 46.9 percent (76-of-162), which she set as a junior in 1989-90.

Definitive Demetress
Junior Demetress Adams has recorded 12 career double-doubles, including eight this season, and the Gamecocks are 11-1 in those games, taking their first loss at No. 8 LSU on Jan. 31. South Carolina is undefeated in Adams’ three career games with five or more blocked shots, including two this season.

Glass Ceiling?
Junior Demetress Adams grabbed a school record 26 rebounds against Arkansas on Feb. 3, breaking Denise Nanney’s 33-year-old record of 24. The first Gamecock since 1993 to bring down 20 or more rebounds in a game, Adams tied Mississippi State’s Sophie Ratliff’s 26 against Shorter in 1988 as the most by an SEC player since the league began officially sponsoring women’s basketball in 1982-83. Of her 26 boards, a school-record 17 came on the defensive end. Among her record-breaking 26 rebounds was the 500th of her career. Through games of Feb. 24, Adams’ 26 boards are the most by any player in the country this season.

Like a Broken Record
One game after etching her name in as the school record holder for blocked shots in a game with seven against UNC Wilmington on Dec. 1, senior Lakesha Tolliver completed her trifecta of blocked shot records by becoming the South Carolina career record holder with five swats against Charleston Southern on Dec. 4. Just nine games into her senior season, Tolliver’s 173 career blocks has eclipsed the Michelle Murray’s previous record of 148. Tolliver set the school record for single-season blocked shots in 2006-07 with 60. She has 43 so far this season.
Career Blocked Shots
1. 173 by Lakesha Tolliver (2004-present)
2. 148 by Michelle Murray (1989-93)
3. 116 by Petra Ujhelyi (2000-03)
4. 114 by Iva Sliskovic (2003-07)
5. 111 by Demetress Adams (2005-present)

The Game On the Line
As a team, the Gamecocks have struggled from the free-throw line this season, hitting just 67.1 percent of their attempts. But, when the game is on the line (quite literally), South Carolina has been able to sink them, hitting 73.7 percent in the last five minutes, including 76.7 percent in the final two minutes of games. The five regular starters (J. Jones, Adams, Dickerson, Burgrova and Tolliver) have missed just 10 free throws in 47 attempts in the game’s final two minutes and have hit 58-of-77 (75.3 percent) at the under five-minute mark. (See box on Page 4 for player-by-player breakdown.) Overall, that starting group is hitting just 66.4 (235-of-354) on the season.

Losing Pace
Junior transfer C.J. Pace has been declared academically ineligible for the spring semester. Prior to the start of classes this term, Pace played in 16 games, including two starts, and added 3.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. She enjoyed a breakout game on Jan. 3 against UNC Asheville in which she scored a season-best 15 points.

The Adams Family
Junior Demetress Adams (Bishopville, S.C./Lee Central) leads the Gamecocks and ranks fourth in the SEC with 9.1 rebounds per game … is second on the team at 11.3 ppg … has been the team’s leading scorer seven times and the leading rebounder in 19 games … has reached double figures in points in 20 games and recorded eight double-doubles … grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, including a critical offensive board in the final 10 seconds, to go with nine points at Florida … tied for team-high honors with 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting and snagged a game-high eight rebounds, seven in the second half, against Mississippi State … paced the team at Auburn with 17 points and nine rebounds in just 27 minutes … was limited by foul trouble to just 17 minutes against Mississippi … picked up double-digit rebounds for the third-straight game with 10 boards at Vanderbilt while also handing out a team-high three assists … broke a 33-year-old school record with 26 rebounds, including a school-record 17 on the defensive end against Arkansas, which also tied her for the most by an SEC player since the league began sponsoring women’s basketball in 1982-83 … went on to record a double-double against the Lady Razorbacks, adding a team-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting … was the lone Gamecock to shine at No. 8 LSU with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 11 rebounds … tied for team-high honors with six rebounds and led the club with five assists against Florida … narrowly missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds against Kentucky … was 4-of-5 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line for 13 points at Mississippi, while tying for team-high rebound honors with seven … netted 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go with seven rebounds and five steals … was limited by foul trouble to just 22 minutes at Alabama but reached double figures with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting and five rebounds.

Know Your ABCs
Freshman Ashlie Billingslea (Stone Mountain, Ga./Stephenson) has played in nine of the last 10 games after missing the season’s first 17 games due to surgery on her left knee in mid-September … hit a pair of field goals at Florida … put up career numbers at Auburn with six assists and five points, including her first career bucket and 3-pointer … snagged a career-high four rebounds to go with a pair of assists in just 11 minutes against Arkansas … handed out four assists and swiped three steals against Kentucky … made her season debut at Mississippi.

That’s Czech Mate
Senior Ilona Burgrova (Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic) is second on the team in rebounding with 6.5 boards per game and is adding 9.6 points per contest … has scored in double digits in 13 of the last 21 games … has led the team in rebounding eight times this season and has recorded seven games of double-digit boards … limited by foul trouble to just 23 minutes at Florida, but hit 3-of-4 from the field and grabbed four rebounds … shot 3-of-4 from the field and the free-throw line en route to nine points and grabbed six rebounds against Mississippi State … hit 4-of-6 from the field for 10 points and handed out a career-high five assists at Auburn … grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds against Mississippi, just missing a double-double with eight points … netted a team-high 11 points at Vanderbilt on 4-of-8 shooting … added nine points and seven rebounds to the win over Arkansas … tied for team-high point and rebound honors with 12 points and six rebounds against Florida … netted 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds against Kentucky, despite being limited by foul trouble … tied for team-high honors with seven rebounds while shooting 4-of-5 from the field at Mississippi … snagged a career-high 13 rebounds and netted a team-high 16 points against No. 2 Tennessee for her first double-double of the season … scored a team-high 13 points and blocked four shots at Alabama.

What Do You Serve With Brie?
Junior Brionna Dickerson (Columbia, S.C./Heathwood Hall) is third on the team with 10.0 ppg … kicked in eight points at Florida … handed out three assists and snagged five rebounds to go with her four points against Mississippi State … grabbed four rebounds to go with six points at Auburn … scored a team-high 14 points against Mississippi, matching her career highs in free throws made and attempted … netted 15 points and grabbed six rebounds against Arkansas … added six points, including the 400th of her career, at No. 8 LSU … matched Ilona Burgrova’s 12 points and six rebounds against Florida to tie for team-high honors in both categories … scored nine points and handed out three assists against Kentucky … added eight points and four rebounds at Mississippi.

My Friends Call Me Coco
Redshirt freshman Lauren Falohun (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) has come off the bench in 12 games, including four SEC contests … snagged an offensive rebound and handed out an assist in six minutes at Vanderbilt … saw a career-high 13 minutes against Savannah State, scoring her first career point on a free throw … played a season-high nine minutes against Illinois … grabbed a pair of rebounds in her college debut against Saint Francis (Pa.).

Pastor Jones
Senior Ebony Jones (Aiken, S.C./Aiken) has played in 24 games, including five starts … is scoring 4.9 ppg and is second on the team in 3-point shooting hitting 35.1 percent … sank a pair of 3-pointers en route to eight points at Florida … netted seven points and swiped three steals against Mississippi State … hit a pair of 3-pointers for six points and swiped a career-high four steals at Auburn … sparked the second-half comeback against Mississippi with back-to-back 3-pointers en route to tying her career high of 12 points … keyed the second-half comeback against Florida with 11 points, including three 3-pointers, and a career-high five rebounds … hit a pair of 3-pointers en route to eight points at Alabama.

J.J. is Dy-no-mite
Freshman Jordan Jones (Suwanee, Ga./Collins Hill) leads the team in scoring at 12.3 ppg and is shooting 37.4 percent from 3-point range … has scored double-figure points in 19 games and has led the team in scoring nine times … went 5-of-9 from 3-point range to score a team-high 16 points at Florida … tied for team-high honors with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point range against Mississippi State … added 12 points, three assists and three steals at Auburn … netted 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, against Mississippi … scored nine points, all on 3-pointers, and swiped four steals at Vanderbilt … netted 10 points and picked up three steals against Arkansas … matched her season high with four assists playing the full 40 minutes at No. 8 LSU … netted 11 points against Florida, hitting three 3-pointers … sparked a comeback against Kentucky with 16 points on 3-of-6 from 3-point range … led the team with 18 points and handed out three assists at Mississippi … played 38 minutes against No. 2 Tennessee, adding eight points and three rebounds … did not start at Alabama after an injury in the previous game limited her practice time, but poured in three 3-pointers during a second-half comeback attempt to finish with nine points.

The Kennedy Legacy
Freshman Samone Kennedy (Birmingham, Ala./Ramsay) has played in 26 games, including five starts … leads the team with 92 assists, fourth-most by a freshman in school history, and has scored 3.9 ppg … posted her first double-double with 10 points, including two late-game free throws, and 10 assists at Florida … was second on the team with 10 points, including 4-of-5 from the free-throw line, at Vanderbilt … drew her second-consecutive start at Mississippi and dished out a team-high six assists to just two turnovers … handed out five assists and swiped a pair of steals to go with six points against No. 2 Tennessee … dished out five assists and scored eight points at Alabama.

Jewel of the Nile
Freshman Jewel May (Conyers, Ga./Heritage) has come off the bench in 23 games, averaging 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds … snagged five rebounds at Florida … netted six points in just 12 minutes at Auburn … sank both her field goal attempts in just five minutes at No. 8 LSU … grabbed a career-high six rebounds to tie for team-high honors against Florida … netted 10 points, including six straight during a second-half rally, against Kentucky … picked up a career-high five rebounds at Mississippi and scored seven points … added three points and three rebounds against No. 2 Tennessee … made her SEC debut at Alabama.

And All That Jas
Freshman Jasmine Payne (Bay Springs, Miss./Stringer) has played in 21 games, including three starts, and averages 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds … grabbed a career-high six rebounds and scored all six of her points in the final 3:33 of the first half against Mississippi to send the Gamecocks into the locker room tied … made her third-straight start at No. 8 LSU, grabbing three rebounds … added four points and a pair of offensive rebounds as a starter against Florida … drew her first career start against Kentucky and snagged a season-best six rebounds.

Tolliver Twist
Senior Lakesha Tolliver (Columbia, S.C./Dreher) is third on the team in rebounding at 5.3 rpg and is scoring 8.7 ppg … has played in 21 games, including 15 starts … became the school record holder for career blocked shots against Charleston Southern … has reached double-figure points in nine games … tossed in 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting against Mississippi State … added eight points and four rebounds in just 18 minutes at Auburn … hit 8-of-9 free throws en route to 10 points and handed out three assists against Mississippi … grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots against Arkansas … returned to the lineup at No. 8 LSU after missing the previous six games due to exertional headaches, adding six points and a pair of rebounds in 16 minutes.