March 2, 2012
Game Information
Date: Friday, March 2, 2012
Time: 10 p.m. (ET)
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Arena: Bridgestone Arena (17,576)
TV: FS South (Dave Baker and Van Chancellor); ESPN3
Radio: WISW 1320 AM (Brad Muller and Marcy Girton); GamecocksOnline.com
Live Stats: SECdigitalnetwork.com
Georgia Series: GA leads 32-6; At Neutral Site: GA leads 4-1; In Columbia: GA leads 14-3; In Athens: GA leads 14-2
South Carolina Notables
- The Gamecocks reached the SEC Tournament quarterfinals for the second time in as many seasons but just the fifth time in school history. South Carolina has never progressed into the semifinals of this event.
- A season-long Achilles heel for South Carolina, free throw shooting turned the tide in the Gamecocks’ first-round win over Alabama. With the game tied 10-10 midway through the first half, South Carolina buried four straight free throws to begin a 22-4 run that decided the game. The Gamecocks went on to hit 11 straight from the charity stripe and finished the game shooting 75.0 percent (18-of-24) from the line.
- Freshman Aleighsa Welch returned to the court last night for the first time since spraining her right knee at Alabama on Feb. 19. She tied for team-high honors with five rebounds in nine minutes of action.
- In tying the school record for SEC wins in a season, South Carolina finished tied for fourth in the league – its best spot in the league standings since the 2001-02 team finished tied for second behind 10 wins.
- South Carolina’s defense has been ranked among the nation’s top four all season. The Gamecocks have held an opponent to 55 or fewer points in 22 games, including seven SEC outings. Some of the highest scoring offenses in the nation have been thwarted by South Carolina’s defensive game plans. No Gamecock opponent has reached 70 points this season and teams have scored 48 or fewer points 13 times, including five league opponents.
Notes
A South Carolina Win Would…
- Put the Gamecocks in the SEC Tournament semifinals for the first time in school history.
- Be the Gamecocks’ second over Georgia in the last four meetings.
By the Numbers
11 Players in school history who have started 100 career games after senior guard La’Keisha Sutton joined the group against Alabama (March 1)
13 Games in which freshman Aleighsa Welch has led the team in rebounding, during with the Gamecocks were 12-1
16 Games in which South Carolina has allowed under 20.0 percent shooting from 3-point range, including five games of not allowing a single made 3-pointer
18 Rank of senior guard La’Keisha Sutton on the Gamecocks’ career points list (1,230), trailing 17th-place Lisa Diaz (1987-90) by four points
21 Games this season in which the Gamecock defense held its opponent to 55 or fewer points, during which South Carolina is 17-4
66 Games won by this year’s senior class (assumes four-year careers), making it the most since the 2004 class captured 69
Georgia Series Notes
The Lady Bulldogs lead the series 32-6 after George escaped Colonial Life Arena with a 61-59 victory on Feb. 16, 2012. In that game, the Lady Bulldogs staved off a late Gamecock rally, sank free throws to take the lead late and saw an Ieasia Walker game-winning 3-point attempt catch the front of the rim and bounce out. This is the second-straight season the two teams have met in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. In last season’s meeting, Georgia ended the Gamecocks’ tournament run with a 66-34 victory on March 4. Senior guard La’Keisha Sutton has the team’s highest scoring average against Georgia, netting 11.1 points per game in her seven outings while also handing out 2.8 assists per contest. Senior forward Charenee Stephens has reeled in 6.0 rebounds per contest in her seven games with her homestate’s flagship institution.
Awards Season
South Carolina saw a program-record three players earn spots on the All-SEC teams this season as senior guards Markeshia Grant and La’Keisha Sutton and junior guard Ieasia Walker grabbed spots on the second team, as selected by the coaches. Sutton was also named to the All-Defensive Team, and forward Aleighsa Welch was on the All-Freshman team.
