Dec. 27, 2010

Game Notes in PDF Format

Game Information

Date: Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena
Presbyterian Series: First Meeting
Live Stats:
Tickets: $7 general admission
Radio: WISW 1320 AM (Brad Muller and Mary Girton); GamecocksOnline.com

South Carolina Notables

• This is the Gamecocks’ 36th season as a varsity sport.
• Two Gamecocks are among the SEC’s top 30 scorers this season – Ieasia Walker (11.9 ppg) and Marah Strickland (10.8 ppg).
• South Carolina has used four different starting lineups this season with eight players getting at least one start. The Gamecocks have used the same lineup for the last three games.
• Junior guard Marah Strickland has hit 38.8 (19-49) percent from 3-point range over the last six games, including 35.7 percent (10-28) over the last four home games.
• Junior guard La’Keisha Sutton has handed out 5.0 assists and swiped 3.0 steals per game over the last five games.
• Senior guard Valerie Nainima made her season debut against NC State, just 4-1/2 months after ACL surgery on her right knee.

Notes

A South Carolina Win Would…

• Be its seventh-straight home victory, the longest the Gamecocks have gone without dropping a home game since opening the 2002-03 season with a 10-game home win streak.
• Be the Gamecocks’ seventh non-conference win of the season, matching last year’s total.

By the Numbers
1 – Gamecock that has a higher scoring average away from Colonial Life Arena (12.0) than on her home court (10.1) – Marah Strickland.
2 – Gamecocks who have started every game this season – Jewel May and La’Keisha Sutton.
3 – Gamecocks who have pulled down more offensive rebounds than defensive boards – Ashley Bruner (39-26), Charenee Stephens (30-28) and Ebony Wilson (10-9).
4 – Gamecocks who average double-figure points in home games – Ieasia Walker (13.4), La’Keisha Sutton (10.9), Ashley Bruner (10.3) and Marah Strickland (10.1).
5 – Different players who have led the team in scoring this season – Ieasia Walker (4), Marah Strickland (3), La’Keisha Sutton (2), Charenee Stephens (1) and Ashley Bruner (1).
5:01 – Total time South Carolina has trailed this season after taking a lead into halftime (UC Davis). The Gamecocks are 6-1 when leading at the half.
11 – The largest deficit the Gamecocks have overcome to win this season (Illinois).
15 – The largest halftime lead the Gamecocks have held this season (Charleston Southern and NC State).
36.1 – Points per game difference in scoring margin for the Gamecocks from home games to away/neutral games (+10.9 at home/-25.2 on the road).
.300 – Difference in the Gamecocks’ season-best field goal percentage (.518 vs. NC State) and their season low (.218 at Stanford).

Bettering the Big South
South Carolina is 28-6 all-time against schools currently in the Big South Conference. The Gamecocks enter tonight’s game having played seven of the nine schools that field women’s basketball teams.

Deciding December
The Gamecocks are 144-76 (.655) all-time in the month of December, including an 85-22 (.794) record at home. Under head coach Dawn Staley, South Carolina is 12-6 in the last month of the year. The Gamecocks went 4-3 in Staley’s first year at the helm (2008-09) and were 4-2 last season. So far this December, South Carolina is 4-1.

Home Sweet Home
South Carolina has won 69.4 percent of its home games since the 1976-77 season (records did not include the site of games for the first two seasons of women’s basketball). That 329-145 mark includes an 85-49 mark in Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks turned in their most productive home season in 2001-02, winning 17 of their 18 contests in their final season playing at Carolina Coliseum. The team’s best home record at Colonial Life Arena came in 2006-07 when South Carolina went 15-5. South Carolina is currently 6-1 at home this season.