Dec. 29, 2008

South Carolina vs. Jacksonville | 3 p.m.

| Live Audio | Game Notes

Last Time Out
South Carolina held No. 1 Connecticut to its lowest point total of the season but could not match the Huskies’ offensive output in a 77-48 loss Sunday afternoon at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks held their own on the glass 30-33 but saw UConn hit 56.5 percent from the field as 56 of the Huskies’ 77 points came in the paint, including 28 points off turnovers.

Series Notes
South Carolina leads the series 1-0 after a 79-54 win over Jacksonville on Nov. 27, 2004, in Columbia.

Injury Report
Sada Wheeler is not with the team during the semester break for personal reasons, and her return is undetermined.

A South Carolina Win Would …
• Be the Gamecocks’ fourth in the last six games.
• Make the Gamecocks 26-3 against Atlantic Sun Conference teams and be the program’s 19th-straight over a team from that league.

Scouting the Dolphins
Jacksonville is 5-5 after back-to-back wins led to the title at the South Padre Island Shootout before the holiday break. At the tournament, the Dolphins opened with a two-point win over SMU before a three-point win over IUPUI sealed the title. Senior guard Virginia Gregoire leads the Dolphin offense with 10.5 points per game, while her junior backcourt mate Courtney Jackson is just behind at 9.0 points per outing, including 40.6 percent shooting from 3-point range. Junior forward Desarae Johnson leads the effort on the glass with 5.0 rebounds per outing. As a team, Jacksonville scores 56.3 points per game on 35.6 percent shooting, including 28.1 percent from 3-point range. Opponents average 58.6 points on 40.4 percent shooting and have out-rebounded the Dolphins by 1.4 boards per outing. Head coach Jill Dunn is in her fourth season at Jacksonville with a 65-62 record, giving her a seven-year career mark of 88-95.

Ticket Information
Season tickets are available at two prices. Fans who purchase four season tickets qualify for the Family 4-Pack pricing at $100. Fans who purchase fewer than four pay the full price of $50 per season ticket. Single-game tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for youth (18 and under). For more information or to order tickets, contact the South Carolina Ticket Office toll free at 800-4SC-FANS or locally at 803-777-4274. Fans can also order tickets via the athletics web site, GamecocksOnline.com.

The Gold Standard
While head coach Dawn Staley has become synonymous with Olympic gold, the entire South Carolina coaching staff boasts a wealth of experience and achievement. Including assistant coaches Lisa Boyer, Carla McGhee and Nikki McCray, the Gamecock women’s basketball staff has combined for 39 years of coaching experience, 29 years of playing professionally in the United States, seven Olympic gold medals and two NCAA National Championships.

Spread Offense
Opponents may find it difficult to scout the Gamecocks offense so far this season as the team has had seven different players lead the offense through 11 games. Players have shared the team lead in three games, and only two players have been the team’s sole points leader in multiple games ñ senior Brionna Dickerson and freshman LaKeisha Sutton.

Chairman of the Boards
Senior Demetress Adams fourth in the SEC with 8.5 rebounds per game. She was atop the standings in the category for much of the early season thanks to grabbing double-digit boards in five of the Gamecocks’ first eight games. Since tying her season high with 12 rebounds against USC Upstate, she has neared double figures just once in three games, snagging nine caroms in the win over Charlotte. Since returning from Cancun, Adams has picked up her offensive output as well, recording double-doubles in her first three games back in the U.S. In fact, she has scored 15 or more points in four of the last six games and currently sits in 21st in the SEC with 11.1 points per game.

Upping the Pace
Senior guard/forward C.J. Pace enjoyed a career outing against Charlotte on Dec. 21, netting 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range. She missed the USC Upstate game with an ankle injury and struggled to re-discover her shot against No. 3/4 Stanford, hitting just 2-of-10 from the field. She found her way against the 49ers, largely by crashing the boards as she snagged seven rebounds, including a career-high four on the offensive glass.

Helping Herself
Tied for the team lead in assists, sophomore point guard Samone Kennedy helped her own offense against Charlotte, scoring a career-high 23 points. Long known as the engine the ups the tempo of the Gamecock offense, Kennedy entered the game shooting 25.3 percent in her career, including 0-of-13 from 3-point range. Taking cues from the 49ers’ green uniforms, she unleashed her shot, hitting 7-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-4 from outside the 3-point arc.

Flashy Frosh
Freshman guard LaKeisha Sutton returned to the starting lineup against USC Upstate and scored a game-high 24 points. Sutton moved into third on the team in scoring with 8.6 points per game, and with relentless drives to the basket has made more free throws (32) than all but two of her teammates have even taken. Sutton’s offensive spurt actually began one game earlier when her 11 points against High Point was her first of three straight double-figure point outings as she followed her USC Upstate start with 13 points against No. 3/4 Stanford. After missing the mark against Charlotte, she bounced back with a team-high 11 points against No. 1 UConn.

Doing the Double-Double
South Carolina senior Demetress Adams is tied for second in the SEC lead with four double-doubles this season. Adams is one behind Kentucky’s Eleia Roddy and tied with Angel Robinson of Georgia, but has reached her number in fewer games than her nearest rivals. Roddy and Robinson both needed 12 games to get their their mark, while Adams has turned in four double-doubles in just 11 games. In her career, Adams has posted 16 double-doubles, and the Gamecocks are 13-3 in those games.

In Colonial Times
While the Gamecocks’ home court may have taken on a new name, South Carolina continues to enjoy a decisive advantage in Colonial Life Arena. Despite a loss in the 2008-09 home opener, South Carolina has won 66.0 percent (70-36) of its games at the facility. The Gamecocks won a high of 15 games in the building in the 2006-07 season and lost a record-low two games in 16 home contests in 2002-03. In non-conference games, South Carolina has a 52-11 record in Colonial Life Arena for a .825 winning percentage.

Deciding December
The Gamecocks have a 135-73 record all-time in the month of December, including Sunday’s win over Charlotte. South Carolina has gone undefeated in the last month of the year four times, including a 7-0 mark in the 2001-02 season. The most recent perfect December was a 6-0 record in the 2005-06 season. The Gamecocks are 76-21 at home in December and 31-28 on the road. The gap narrows to 22-20 in December games played at a neutral site. (Seven games in the Gamecock history books do not indicate the site of the contest, during which Carolina is 5-2.) This season, the Gamecocks have seven games scheduled in December with six of them to be played at Colonial Life Arena. So far this month, Carolina is 3-3.

It’s a Block Party!
After recording 55 blocked shots in 2007-08, the third-most in school history, senior Demetress Adams looks to continue her charge up the Gamecocks’ career blocked shots list. She needs just four to meet former teammate Ilona Burgrova’s 133 in third place.
Career Blocked Shots
1. 177 Lakesha Tolliver (2004-08)
2. 148 Michelle Murray (1989-93)
3. 133 Ilona Burgrova (2004-08)
4. 129 Demetress Adams (2005-present)

The Adams Family
Senior Demetress Adams (Bishopville, S.C./Lee Central) is fourth in the SEC with 8.5 rebounds per game … leads the team and ranks 21st in the SEC with 11.1 points per game … is fourth in the league with 30.6 minutes per game … has recorded four double-doubles this season and has been the team’s leading rebounder seven times … tied for team-high honors with five rebounds to go with six points against No. 1 UConn … hit a season-high 19 points, including a career-best 8-of-8 from the free-throw line, to go with a game-high nine rebounds against Charlotte.

What Do You Serve With Brie?
Senior Brionna Dickerson (Columbia, S.C./Heathwood Hall) is second on the team and ranks 23rd in the SEC with 10.9 points per game … is second in the league with 33.0 minutes played per game … netted seven points on 2-of-4 shooting against No. 1 UConn … hit 11 points for the second-straight game against Charlotte.

You Can Call Me Cocoa
Sophomore Lauren Falohun (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) averages 4.0 points and 1.9 assists … came off the bench for the first time this season against USC Upstate, grabbing a career-high five rebounds and swiping a career-best four steals.

The Kennedy Legacy
Sophomore Samone Kennedy (Birmingham, Ala./Ramsay) has started the last four games … leads the team with 2.0 assists per game … tied for the team lead with 11 points against No. 1 UConn … hit her first career 3-pointers, going 4-of-4 from long range, en route to a career-high 23 points against Charlotte.

Jewel of the Nile
Sophomore Jewel May (Conyers, Ga./Heritage) is second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game, 19th-best in the SEC, to go with 5.2 points per outing … returned to the starting lineup against No. 1 UConn and added eight points and a team-high tying five rebounds … grabbed six rebounds off the bench against Charlotte.

A Newton of Force
Redshirt freshman Courtney Newton (Flowery Branch, Ga./Flowery Branch) has played in seven games after missing the first two games with a right knee injury … hit her first basket of the season against Charlotte, scoring five points and snagging three rebounds.

Set the Pace
Senior C.J. Pace (Snellville, Ga./Chipola College) averages 5.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game … returned to the starting lineup against Charlotte, scoring a career-high 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds in a career-high 37 minutes.

CSI: Columbia
Freshman Charenee Stephens (Decatur, Ga./Southwest DeKalb) made her season debut against No. 1 UConn after sitting out the first 10 games for personal reasons … grabbed two offensive rebounds in her debut … was tabbed as the fifth-best forward in the 2008 class by Scout.com and the 33rd-best player in the class by HoopGurlz.com.

Jersey Girl
Freshman LaKeisha Sutton (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Catholic) is the team’s third-highest scorer with 8.6 points per game … is 14th in the SEC with a .627 free-throw percentage … tied for the team lead with 11 points against No. 1 UConn on 4-of-8 shooting and blocked two shots.

Miranda Rights
Freshman Miranda Tate (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) is scoring 3.8 points per game … returned to the court against No. 1 UConn after suffering a left knee injury against No. 3/4 Stanford.

T Time
Freshman Tonia Williams (Warner Robins, Ga./Houston County) has come off the bench in five of six games this season … missed the USC Upstate game due to a broken nose.