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Gamecock Sports Schedule ■ Men’s basketball vs. Mercer, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. ■ Women’s basketball vs. Clemson, Wednesday, 9 p.m. ■ Swimming at U.S. Open in Auburn, Thursday-Saturday ■ Volleyball vs. George Washington in NCAA Tournament, Friday, 5 p.m. —■1 WtsSBBWk * | Page 7 ■ f Gamecocks back on winning track USC defeats in-state foes Wofford and South Carolina State for first two wins of season f ' ■' by Brock Vergakis The Gamecock When students left for Thanksgiving break, USC athletics had been humiliated days earlier. The football, volleyball, soccer and basketball teams had all been de feated in the same weekend. Fortunately for the men’s basketball team, they re deemed themselves over the break by defeating Wof ford, 74-48, and S.C. State, 72-58. Coming off a six point loss to Tennessee Tech, USC struggled in the first A half against a Wofford team whose best two players were suspended. Perhaps a little spoiled by the success of this j year’s football team, the fans began booing their own j team as the score at halftime showed USC only leading \ 21-20. The message was clearly heard, and USC was able J to pull away in the second half, winning by 26. The next game wouldn’t be as easy to run away with. The S.C. State Bulldogs had already beaten Ten nessee Tech and barely lost to Vanderbilt by five points. In the first half, there were five lead changes and four ■ ties as the Bulldogs athleticism was often too much • for USC to handle. Much of the Bulldogs’ attack i came from former Clemson player Vmcent Whitt, who ended the game with 19 points. “They have the kind of athletes that teams in the SEC will have,” said USC’s David Ross, who finished with nine points and two assists for the Gamecocks. “They’re very athletic,” USC coach Eddie Fogler said. “They’re much quicker than us and hurt us with their two guards.” As both teams traded baskets, USC searched for the right combination to slow down the Bulldogs, switch ing between zone and man-to-man defenses. What fi nally worked was old-fashioned hustle as the Bulldogs turned the ball over 12 times, allowing the Gamecocks to capitalize for 11 points as USC player after player scrapped and dove for nearly every loose ball. Caroli na went into the locker room at the half leading by eight. USC actually had more turnovers than the Bulldogs did at the half, but S.C. State was only able to convert them into two points. “Their intensity wore us down,” S.C. State coach Cy Alexander said. “I think we got lulled into the hype because we beat Tennessee Tech, and Tennessee Tech beat South Carolina. We tried to get that garbage out of their heads all week.” Fogler was worried about the hype himself when his big men finished the game by going 3 of 19 from the field. “I’m disappointed that our big people could go 3 of 19,” Fogler said. “I thought they could score in there. Maybe they’ve been reading their press clippings.” Carolina had to rely on its guards to pull away in the second half, and Aaron Lucas answered the call. When the Bulldogs cut a 16 point second-half lead to seven with 11 minutes to play, Lucas scored back-to back three-point plays by driving to the hoop and draw ing fouls. The Bulldogs were never able to recover. “Those were big, big plays,” Fogler said. “Aaron Lucas’ assist ratio was not there tonight, but he made some great hustle plays.” Lucas’ plays helped make up for a rough game where he didn’t have an assist and turned the ball over six times. Despite the poor performance of Carolina’s big men, Lucas said the team wasn’t too concerned. “We can’t ask our post players to play a perfect game every night,” Lucas said. “But we still have that confidence in them and get them ball.” The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmail.com. November 21,2000 at Frank McGuire Arena, Columbia, SC SOUTH CAROLINA 74, WOFFORD 48 « WOFFORD (0-2) | White 0-0,0-0 0, Hastie 4-9 0-0 8, Pryor 3-10 1-2 8, Laigent 2-7 0-0 4, Nixon | 5-14 2-214, Lenzly 3-11 1-3 8, Eaton 1-1 0-0 2, Colin 0-1 0-0 0, Sterley 2-8 0-0 4, Boyce 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-61 4-7 48. • SOUTH CAROLINA (1-1) J Eidson 4-8 2-3 10, Clemmons 5-10 4-6 14, Petravicius 6-10 2-2 14, Lucas 1 * 33-45, Bradley 3-8 04) 7, Ross 0-2 04) 0, Cadray 0-10-0 0, Taylor 1-104) 3, Boyn | ton 2-3 2-2 8, Grant 0-2 0-0 0, Ritchings 2-4 9-1013. Totals 24-52 22-27 74. Halftime—South Carolina 21, Wofford 20. 3-Point goals—Wofford 4-22 (Pryor J 1-3, Laigent 0-3, Nixon 2-7, Lenzly 1-5, Colin 0-1, Sterley 0-3), South Carolina 4 J 16 (Eidson 0-3, Bradley 1 -6, Ross 0-1, Taylor 1 -1, Boynton 2-3, Grant 0-2). Fouled J out—-Wbfford (Laigent). Rebounds—Watford 37 (Hastie 9), South Carolina 38 (Pe | travicius, Ritchings 7). Assists—Wofford 10 (Laigent 3), South Carolina 16 (Lu cas 6). Total fouls—Watford 23, South Carolina 11. Technicals—none. A—8,152. I # November 25,2000 at Frank McGuire Arena, Columbia, SC SOUTH CAROLINA 72, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE 58 SOUTH CAROLINA STATE (2-3) Radford 1-5,0-0 3, Hall 0-1 0-0 0, Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Whitt 8-24 2-2 19, Gray 8-171-217, Bowman 0-0 0-0 0, Mapp 5-110-0 12, Neis 0-5 2-2 2, Boyles 2-3 1 15. Totals 24-67 6-7 58. SOUTH CAROLINA (2-1) Edson 4-10 5-8 14, Clemmons 1-3 3-3 5, Petravicius 2-10 0-0 4, Lucas 5-7 5-7 16, Bradley 4-10 2-212, Ross 3-6 2-2 9, Boynton 0-10-0 0, Grant 5-8 1-212, Kitchings 0-6 0-0 0. Totals 24-61 18-24 72. Halftime—South Carolina 35, South Carolina State 27.3-Point goals—South Car olina State 4-19 (Radford 1-3, Whitt 1-6, Gray 0-3, Mapp 2-6, Boyles 0-1), South Carolina 6-20 (Edson 1-3, Lucas 1-2, Bradley 2-8, Ross 1-3, Boynton 0-1, Grant 1-3). Fouled out—South Carolina State (Hall). Rebounds—South Carolina State 35 (Hall 11), South Carolina 50 (Edson 8). Assists—South Carolina State 7 (Gray 3), South Carolina 14 (Edson 4). Total fouls—South Carolina State 19, South Car olina 13. Technicals—South Carolina State (Mapp). A—6,504. Sean Rayford The Gamecock Gamecock center Marius Petravicius throws down a dunk during Carolina’s 74-48 win over Wofford. use waiting tor bowl bid by Kyle Almond ^ The Gamecock The South Carolina Gamecocks know they’re heading for their first bowl game since 1995, but questions remain about which bowl game it will be. There won’t be an answer until Dec. 3, the day after the SEC Championship game between Florida and Auburn. If the SEC East champion Gators de feat the SEC Wfest champion Tigers, then the Gamecocks will most likely be play ing in the Outback Bowl. If Auburn pulls out an upset victory, USC could be going to Atlanta to play in the Peach Bowl. USC head coach Lou Holtz says he has no preference between the two games. “Whatever bowl game the SEC chooses for us to play in, we will be hap ^ py to play in,” Holtz said. “We’ve got a great conference, and we’ll go where they ask us to.” The Outback Bowl, held in Tampa, Fla., has a higher payout than the Peach Bowl ($2 million to $ 1.8 million) and is played on New Year’s Day, while the Peach Bowl is played Dec. 29. The Gamecocks seemed destined for the Peach Bowl and a match-up with Geoigia Tech until last Wednesday, when the Citrus Bowl issued a provisional bid to Auburn. The Citrus announced they will take Aubum if they lose the SEC ti tle game. If that scenario carries out, Florida 44 would go to the Sugar Bowl, Auburn would head to the Citrus, and the next two bowls in the SEC hierarchy, the Out back and the Peach, would choose be tween USC and Tennessee. The Outback has the first choice of the two, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they would take Tennessee, who has one more win than the Gamecocks and also a head-to-head victory. “We’re looking at both teams very closely, but we’re just not in a position to tell who we’re going to take,” Out back Bowl president Jim McVay said. The Outback and the Peach might work out a deal that would send Tennessee to the Peach instead and put the Game cocks in the Outback. Executives from the Peach Bowl have expressed a desire to see Geoigia Tech W, * ) face Tennessee to renew an old SEC ri valry. Geoigia Tech was in the SEC from 1933-63. “There’s a lot of history there (in that match-up),” Peach Bowl president Gary Stokan said. The Outback, on the other hand, might need a strong USC crowd to fill the seats of Raymond James Stadium as Ohio State, their first selection, isn’t ex pected to bring a massive following from Columbus, Ohio. But fans shouldn’t book their travel plans yet. Nothing is certain until after the Florida/Aubum game. If Auburn wins, they will be the ones who win a BCS birth, not the Gators, and the Citrus would have to choose between Florida and Tennessee. The Gamecocks would most likely slip to the Peach. to a bowl game in only his second season there, Holtz had his contract extended Tuesday. On the same day, he was named one of three finalists for National Coach of the Year. “Coach Holtz is responsible for one of the greatest tum-arounds in the histo ry of college football,” USC athletic di rector Mike McGee said. Holtz turned an 0-11 Gamecock team of a year ago in to a 7-4 bowl-eligible team. Holtz’s contract was extended to its original five-year term, and he will re ceive a raise which has not yet been de termined. Already a two-time Coach of the Year award winner, Holtz is competing with Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops and Notre Dame’s Bob Davie for a third. Holtz gets an extension and more „)e sports desk can reached a[ gamecocksports@hotmail.com. For taking an unprecented sixth team I . — , I-IZ-1 OUTBACK BOWL Jan. 1,2001 11a.m. (ESPN) Tampa, FL Raymond James Stadium (66,655) Last Yean Georgia 28, Purdue 25 SEC #3 vs. Big Ten #3 Opponent: Ohio State Buckeyes (8-3) Chick-Fil-A PEACH BOWL Dec. 29,2000 5 p.m. (ESPN) Atlanta, GA Geoigia Dome (71,228) Last Yean Miss. St 17, Clemson 7 SEC #4 vs. ACC #3 Opponent: Geoigia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-2) » Lady Gamecocks win first basketball game of season ■ use defeats Montana State 63-52 in Cancun by Kyle Almond The Gamecock The Lady Gamecocks earned their first win of the season Friday night against Montana State in the first round of a tournament in Cancun, Mexico. Junior forward Teresa Geter, a Columbia native who transferred to the Gamecocks this season from Tennessee, led the way for Carolina with 15 points. Sophomore center Petra Ujhelyi fin ished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and adding 10 rebounds. “I believe that our post players are two of the best in the country, even if we haven’t showed it yet,” USC head coach Susan Whlvius said “Petra played ' well in putting up her second double double of the season, and Teresa Geter was much more aggressive in the sec ond half.” Carolina kept the Bobcats off the scoreboard for the first six minutes of the second half, and its defensive in tensity opened the two-point halftime lead to twelve. USC’s lead was challenged late in the game by a Montana State team that refused to quit. With 4:57 remain ing in the game, the Lady Gamecocks were only up 50-45. Geter answered with three baskets, however, to put the game out of reach and give Carolina their first taste of vic tory. “We continue to play and work the kinks out,” Walvius said. “I was unhap py with the first-half performance of . the team, and I really got on them at halftime. Wfe talked at halftime and came out with defensive intensity in the second half and took over the game.” “It was a good win for us, even though I am not completely happy with the way we are playing. Montana is a good three-point shooting team and veiy scrappy.” The win over Montana State matched up the Lady Gamecocks with No. 4 Purdue on Sunday night. Results were not available at press time. Next up for the Lady Gamecocks is a home game with arch-rival Clemson on Wednesday night. The game is part of a doubleheader with the men’s team, who take on Mercer. The men’s game is scheduled to tip-off at 6:30 p.m., with the Carolina/Clemson game following at 9 p.m. The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmail.com. Volleyball team nets NCAA berth by Kyle Almond The Gamecock The South Carolina volleyball team got a new lease on life Sunday night when they were selected to play in the 2000 NCAA Division I Women’s Vol leyball Championship. The Gamecocks (21-6,12-2 SEC) were upset in the first round of the SEC Tournament by Georgia last week, and the loss prevented them from winning their first-ever conference championship. But USC will get a chance to make some noise on a much larger scale Fri day against George Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. “It’s exciting, it’s a new season, and we’ve just got to prepare and play one match at a time,” USC redshirt sopho more Cally Plummer said. “We worked so hard this summer. This was our goal. We have a week to look forward to a new season.” The Gamecocks were paired with 1 the George Washington Colonials (25 5) in the Central region of the tourna ment. GWTJ earned an automatic bid by winning the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament with a heart-stopping 3-2 win over Xavier. If the Gamecocks win, a second round matchup with No. 1 Ne braska is likely. The Comhuskers are 28-0 on the season and have consistently been ranked No. 1 by the AVCA all season. They take on Princeton in the first round. “If we’re going to go, we might as well go play the best,” USC head coach Kim Christopher said. “It will just be an exciting environment.” The game will be held in Lincoln, Neb. at 5 p.m. This will be the Game cocks’ fourth NCAA appearance in the last six years. “We were anxious to get the bid,” Christopher said. “We’ve played well all season. It’s just been an exceptional season for many reasons.” This is the sixth time in Christo V pher’s eight years as coach that the Gamecocks have won 20 games in a sea son. The Gamecocks also won 12 SEC games this season, the most in school history. Perhaps even more amazing is that in those 12 wins, USC only dropped four matches. This season, the final four for the tournament will be held in Richmond, Va., at Virginia Commonwealth Uni versity. But you won’t catch senior Mandy Quarterman looking ahead. “Wfe will take the NCAAs one match at a time,” she said. “Everybody is 0-0 now.” The last time the Gamecocks were in the NCAAs, they lost 3-2 to Colorado State in Texas. Brock Vergakis contributed to this report. The sports desk can be reached at gamecocfcBports@hotmaLcom 1