Jan. 14, 2009

South Carolina vs. No. 19 Florida | 7 p.m.

| Live Audio | Game Notes

Last Time Out
South Carolina suffered a nail-biting 69-63 defeat at Georgia Sunday afternoon after knotting the game 63-63 with 1:33 left to play. The Gamecocks fought back from a six-point deficit in the final five minutes to tie the game twice before the Lady Bulldogs were perfect in four trips to the free-throw line to seal their victory. Senior Brionna Dickerson led the team with a season-high 19 points, including three 3-pointers, while freshman Lakeisha Sutton did damage down the stretch to finish with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

Series Notes
Florida leads the series 16-8 after winning two of the three meetings last season. The Gators topped the Gamecocks 71-57 in the 2008 SEC Tournament on March 6, less than two weeks after the Gamecocks had knocked off Florida 69-65 in Gainesville. Florida opened the season series with a narrow 60-57 win in Columbia. The Gators are 11-4 against South Carolina in Columbia, although the teams have alternated wins in the last four meetings at Colonial Life Arena. The last time the home crowd watched the Gamecocks beat the Gators was a 79-51 decision on Jan. 25, 2007. The last time a nationally-ranked Florida team faced the Gamecocks was Feb. 3, 2002. South Carolina pulled off a 69-59 win over the then-No. 15 Gators in Gainesville. It was the first time in eight total meetings where the Gators were ranked that the Gamecocks pulled off the victory. South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has a longer history with Florida than any other SEC team, posting a 1-4 record against the Gators. Her lone win was an 85-80 overtime victory for Temple on Jan. 2, 2007, in Gainesville.

A South Carolina Win Would …
• Be the Gamecocks’ first over a nationally-ranked team since topping then-No. 14 Minnesota 79-61 on Dec. 13, 2005, in Columbia.
• Be the Gamecocks’ first over a nationally-ranked SEC team since beating then-No. 13 Arkansas 83-59 on Feb. 16, 2003, in Columbia.
• Be head coach Dawn Staley’s first coaching win over a nationally-ranked team since she led Temple to a 48-47 victory at then-No. 9 Rutgers on Jan. 19, 2006 – the highest-ranked team she has defeated in her career.
• Be head coach Dawn Staley’s fourth against a nationally-ranked team in 25 outings.
• Be Dawn Staley’s first SEC win as a head coach in the league.
• Give head coach Dawn Staley a 2-4 record against Florida.

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.

Think Pink!
South Carolina is one of numerous teams around the country participating in the WBCA’s 2009 Pink Zone Week, which begins Feb. 13. A global, unified effort to help raise breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond, schools are participating in various ways. For the Gamecocks, the initiative begins tonight when the first 150 Carolina fans receive a Pink Zone piggy bank, courtesy of Firehouse Subs, in which to collect spare change to donate to the Kay Yow/WBCA Breast Cancer Fund on Sun., Feb. 8. The first 500 fans that bring their banks to Colonial Life Arena on Feb. 8 will receive a South Carolina Women’s Basketball Pink Zone t-shirt.

Go Green!
South Carolina men’s and women’s basketball has teamed with Richland County to work toward creating a greener Columbia. Fans who bring their recyclable plastics to each home game in January can enter to win a Super Bowl Party prize pack that includes a flat screen LCD television and all the necessary food to host a great Super Bowl Party. The winner of the prize pack will be announced on Jan. 28 during the men’s game against Vanderbilt.

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.

Sending Out an SOS
Through games of Jan. 12, South Carolina is ranked 22nd in the nation in strength of schedule (SOS). Only two SEC schools have played a tougher schedule to this point as Tennessee is ranked second and LSU is 11th. The Gamecocks have a solid RPI as well, as their ranking of 65 slots in behind Tennessee (4), Auburn (12), Florida (16), LSU (30), Kentucky (49), Vanderbilt (55) and Mississippi State (56) in the SEC.

Answering to the D.A.
Senior Demetress Adams is sixth in the SEC with 7.3 rebounds per game and 20th in scoring at 11.5 points per outing. Adams grabbed double-digit boards in five of the Gamecocks’ first eight games this season, including two games of 12 rebounds (USC Upstate, Penn State), which helped her sit atop the conference rebound standings for much of the early season. Since then, its Adams’ offense that has done damage to opponents. She has scored 14 or more points in seven of the last 10 games, including 19 against Charlotte and 17 against No. 9/8 Auburn in just 20 minutes on the floor.

Brionna’s Boom
Senior Brionna Dickerson has reached double-figure points in all but three games this season to rank 16th in the SEC with 12.2 points per game, including a season-high 19 points in the last two games. She has hit scored 15 or more points seven times, including three straight games three weeks into the season. That stretch included both games of the Cancun Thanksgiving Classic and yielded Tournament MVP honors. In the five games since Christmas, Dickerson has hit 50.0 percent from the field (26-52), including a season-best showing of 60 percent accuracy (6-of-10) against Jacksonville. In SEC play, Dickerson ranks fourth in the league with 19.0 points per game and ranks among the league’s most prolific 3-point shooters, hitting 50.0 percent from behind the arc (7-of-14) in her first two games to rank fourth and ranking second with 3.5 3-point field goals made per game.

Upping the Pace
Senior guard/forward C.J Pace has thrived in the semester break after opening the post-exam stretch with a career outing against Charlotte on Dec. 21. She scored a career-high 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range, and snagged seven rebounds, including a career-high four on the offensive glass, against the 49ers. Despite being stymied by No. 1 UConn, Pace came back strong against Jacksonville, scoring 13 points to go with seven rebounds and a career-high two blocked shots. At NC State, she recorded her first career double-double, netting 10 points to go with her career-high tying 11 rebounds. She went on to lead the team with seven rebounds against No. 9/8 Auburn in the SEC opener. Over the last five games, Pace has recorded 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. The surge has moved her into fourth on the team in scoring this season, posting 6.5 points per game, and into 19th in the SEC in rebounding at 5.9 caroms per outing.

Flashy Frosh
Freshman guard Lakeisha Sutton is at it again on the offensive end. After her offense surged in her three-game stretch in the starting lineup (Dec. 16-21), Sutton has returned to a reserve role since then but burst onto the SEC scene last week. She made her conference debut with 17 points against No. 9/8 Auburn then went to Georgia and netted 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting. In face, she set or tied four career highs at Georgia – field goal percentage (.857), rebounds (4), defensive rebounds (3) and assists (5). So far in SEC play, Sutton averages 17.5 points to rank sixth in the league and is third in field goal percentage (.647). She is also among the SEC’s top 10 in assists per game (4.0, 9th) and steals (2.5, 4th) through the first to conference games.

It’s a Block Party!
After recording 55 blocked shots in 2007-08, the third-most in school history, senior Demetress Adams has continued her charge up the Gamecocks’ career blocked shots list with 14 so far this season. Now tied with former teammate Illona Burgrova with 133, she needs 16 more to reach Michelle Murray in second place.
Career Blocked Shots
1. 177 Lakesha Tolliver (2004-08)
2. 148 Michelle Murray (1989-93)
3. 132 Demetress Adams (2005-present); Ilona Burgrova (2004-08)

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 65.7 percent (71-37) 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 53-11 record in Colonial Life Arena for a .828 winning percentage.

Judging January
The Gamecocks are 162-160 all-time in the month of January. South Carolina’s best record in the first month of the year came in the 1979-80 season when the Gamecocks were 10-1. In January, Carolina is 99-66 at home, 49-84 on the road and a perfect 4-0 at a neutral site (17 games in the Gamecock history books do not indicate the site of the contest, during which Carolina is 9-8.) The Gamecocks are 1-2 so far in their eight January games this season.

The Adams Family
Senior Demetress Adams (Bishopville, S.C./Lee Central) is sixth in the SEC with 7.3 rebounds per game … leads the team and ranks 20th in the SEC with 11.5 points per game … is 14th in blocked shots (0.9 per game) … moved into third place on the school career blocked shot list with her block at Georgia giving her 133 in her career … has recorded four double-doubles this season and has been the team’s leading rebounder seven times … has scored in double figures 10 times, including eight games of 14 or more points … scored 17 points in just 20 foul-plagued minutes against No. 9/8 Auburn.

What Do You Serve With Brie?
Senior Brionna Dickerson (Columbia, S.C./Heathwood Hall) is second on the team and ranks 16th in the SEC with 12.2 points per game … is second in the league with 33.9 minutes played per game and 15th in 3-point fields made at 1.3 per game … has been the team’s leading scorer six times and reached double-figure points in 12 games … scored a season-high 19 points at Georgia, her second-straight game at that number, hitting three 3-pointers … paced the squad with 19 points, including 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, against No. 9/8 Auburn.

You Can Call Me Cocoa
Sophomore Lauren Falohun (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) averages 3.1 points and 1.5 assists.

The Kennedy Legacy
Sophomore Samone Kennedy (Birmingham, Ala./Ramsay) has started the last eight games … leads the team with 2.3 assists per game … handed out three assists and swiped two steals to go with six points at Georgia … played the full 40 minutes for the first time in her career against No. 9/8 Auburn, handing out three assists against just one turnover and scoring seven points.

Jewel of the Nile
Sophomore Jewel May (Conyers, Ga./Heritage) is second on the team with 6.0 rebounds per game, 15th-best in the SEC, to go with 5.7 points per outing … has led the team in rebounding five times this season … grabbed a game-high eight rebounds at Georgia, including four on the offensive end … added six points and five rebounds, including three offensive, against No. 9/8 Auburn despite playing just 26 minutes.

A Newton of Force
Redshirt freshman Courtney Newton (Flowery Branch, Ga./Flowery Branch) has played in 10 games after missing the first two games with a right knee injury.

Set the Pace
Senior C.J. Pace (Snellville, Ga./Chipola College) averages 6.7 points and 6.2 rebounds, 19th-best in the SEC on the glass … has reached double-digit points in three of the last six games … led the team with seven rebounds and scored six points against No. 9/8 Auburn.

CSI: Columbia
Freshman Charenee Stephens (Decatur, Ga./Southwest DeKalb) has played in every game since making her season debut on Dec. 28 after sitting out the first 10 games for personal reasons … matched her season highs with four points and four rebounds at Georgia, playing 19 minutes … scored her first career points with a pair of baskets against No. 9/8 Auburn while adding three rebounds to the effort.

Jersey Girl
Freshman Lakeisha Sutton (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Catholic) is the team’s third-highest scorer with 9.6 points per game … is 11th in the SEC with a .671 free-throw percentage … has scored in double figures eight times, including a three of games with 15 or more points … sparked the offense late to finish with 18 points at Georgia, hitting 6-of-7 field goals to tie for fourth-best field goal percentage by a freshman in school history … poured in 17 points against No. 9/8 Auburn, including hitting 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.

Miranda Rights
Freshman Miranda Tate (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) is scoring 3.3 points per game … added a bucket at Georgia.

T Time
Freshman Tonia Williams (Warner Robins, Ga./Houston County) has come off the bench in five games this season.