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^ THE GAMECOCK ♦ Friday, March 29,2002 7 PTT-1 £sj game schedule f'nMT'Af’T TTQ I 3 I \ I y ' I ' BASEBALL vs. No. 13 Alabama, 7 p.m. Friday VjUIN L1\\j 1 UO | ■ ■ | ^ | WOMEN’S TENNIS at Auburn, 2 p.m. Friday Story ideas? Questions? Comments? I 1 / I I Ik# MEN’S TENNIS vs. Auburn, 2:30 p.m. Friday E-mailusatgamecocksports@hotmail.com —I— B B Fn—/ SOFTBALL at Tennessee, 4 p.m. Tuesday FALLING SHORT GAMECOCKS CANT OVERCOME TIGERS’ LEAD Ijjps Memphis 72 JPK. 0 use 62 BY RICK FREEMAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK - Earl Barron scored a career-high 25 points and tournament MVP Dajuan Wagner had 16 as Memphis won the NIT with a 72-62 victory over South Carolina on Thursday night. Wagher, Memphis’ star fresh man and a possible lottery pick in the NBA draft, may have played his last college game. Tigers coach John Calipari thinks Wagner could be one of the first 13 players taken if he leaves this year and one of the first three players taken if he leaves next year. The blue-and-white-clad con tingent of Memphis fans stood and chanted "One more year! One more year!” when Wagner was taken out of the game with 47.3 seconds left. For Calipari, the champi onship accomplished something he wanted to get out of the way at this time last season. The Tigers lost in the NIT semifinals last year, and Calipari was hoping they would make the NCAA tour nament this year. But the Tigers lost five of their last seven, in cluding a first-round loss to Houston in the Conference USA tournament. uanpari saia earner mis weea he felt snubbed by the NCAA tour nament. Before Tuesday’s semifi nals, he said advancing would be "validation.” First-year South Carolina coach Dave Odom was bidding for his second NIT title in three years. He won the tournament with Wake Forest in 2000. Rolando Howell had 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Gamecocks, who shot just 8-of-18 from the free-throw line. The Gamecocks (22-15) stayed close in the first half, but didn’t score in the second until Aaron Lucas sank a free throw with 15:50 to play. Lucas scored South Carolina’s first field goal of the half with 13:25 left. But by then, Memphis (27-9) was running away with it. Barron, who played last sum mer in China for the United States in the World University Games, was perfect in the first half. He tied his season best by halftime with 19 points on 9-of-9 shooting. He also made the only free throw he took. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@hotmail.com PHOTO BY ROBERT GRUEN/THE GAMECOCK Dave Odom, who became USC head coach from Wake Forest, saw his first season with the Gamecocks end without his team making the NCAA Tournament. But the Gamecocks made a strong showing in the National Invitational Tournament and made It to the final before losing to Memphis. A long and winding season The Gamecocks have seen many highsand lows during their first season under head coach Dave Odom. A look at the Gamecocks’ year: Nov. 19: Chaminade 74-61W Nov. 20: Duke 56-81 L NOv. 21: UCLA 77-89 L Nov. 26: ETSU 83-66 W Nov. 28: at Wofford 64-49 W Dec. 1: Colorado St. 66-58 W Dec. 3: Providence 67-48 W Dec. 6: Georgetown 70-68 L Dec. 8: at Clemson 81-57 W Dec. 18: S.C. State 69-50 W Dec. 20: The Citadel 73-57 W Dec. 28: Charleston So. 86-41 W Dec. 30: Mercer 88-52 W Jan. 5: at Florida 69-60 L Jan. 12: Kentucky 51-50 L -Jan. 16: at Arkansas 62-60 W Jan. 19: Vanderbilt 51-60 L Jan. 23: at Tennessee 94-60 W Jan. 26: at Ole Miss 53-71 L Jan. 30: Georgia 80-67 W Feb. 2: at Kentucky 74-91 L Feb. 5: Florida 63-72 L Feb. 9: Tennessee 72-54 W Feb. 13: Alabama 51-52 L Feb. 16: at Vanderbilt 66-43 W Feb. 20: Louisiana St. 66-53 W Feb. 23: at Auburn 46-50 L Feb. 27: at Georgia 75-82 L(OT) March 2: Mississippi St. 57-64 L btu lournameni March 7: Ole Miss 69-67 W March 8: Kentucky 70-57 W March 9: Alabama 57-65 L NIT Tournament March 13: at Virginia 74-67 W March 19: UNLV 75-65 W March 21: Ball State 82-47 W March 26: Syracuse 66-59 W Thursday: NIT Championship: Memphis 72, USC62 Box Score SOUTH CAROLINA (22-15) Eidson 0-7 0-0 0, R.Howell 10-18 0-3 20, Kitchings 4-13 1-29, Bradley 3-10 1-2 8, Lucas 3-10 4-7 11, Powell 1-5 2-4 5, PetraviciusO 0 0-0 0, Boynton 1-5 0-0 3, Warren 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor 0-0 0-0 0, Land 0 0 0-0 0,1.Howell 2-2 0-0 6, Konare 0-0 0-0 0, Chappell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-70 8-18 62. MEMPHIS (27-9) Massie 2-2 2-4 6, McFadgon 1-6 4 4 7, Diarra 1-1 0-0 2, Burks 0-7 4-4 4, Wagner 6-112-3 16, Barron 11 14 3-3 25, Rice 1-2 0-0 2, Wise 5 12 0-0 10, Roots 0-0 0-0 0, Erwin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-55 15-18 72. SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS Opening Day: the other April 1 holiday i_^ jmmmv_j J. KEITH ALLEN GAMECOCKSPORTS@HOTMAIL.COM Major League Baseball is about to begin again. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The curtain rises on the 2002 Major League Baseball season Sunday night when the Anaheim Angels take the field against the Cleveland Indians. It seems like only yesterday when Luis Gonzalez’s single won the World Series for the Arizona Diamondbacks, but the “Boys of Summer” are back at work again. Commissioner Bud Selig has promised to play nice and not interrupt the season with a lockout, and the four or five teams with a realistic shot at winning the Series have re-tooled for the upcoming campaign. Opening Day is a holiday of sorts, (well, this year it is—it’s called Easter) when all the stands are packed, the ballparks are shining with fresh paint, and even the Expos are tied for first place. After Sunday’s lone game, most teams will get down to business on Monday afternoon. Across the country, meetings will be canceled, strategies will be devised, and lies will be told—all to join the rest of the hooky-playing nation of baseball fans soaking up the beauty of Opening Day. Opening Day is like running down the stairs on Christmas morning to find the stack of presents under the tree - you can’t wait to tear them open to see what’s inside. You’ll invariably come across the presents that you asked for (the Yankees), some ♦ ALLEN, SEE PAGE 8 The Citadel upsets No. 4 USC Citadel 5 BY STEVE SHULER THE GAMECOCK Going into Charleston on Wednesday night for a matchup against The Citadel, the fourth ranked USC baseball team was counting on little more than a tuneup for its upcoming series against No. 13 Alabama. However, The Citadel had oth er ideas. Bulldogs shortstop David Griffin hit a bases-loaded double, and pitcher Paul Williams al lowed only one run in 7 1/3 in nings, as The Citadel defeated Carolina 5-1. The Bulldogs (13-11) started the scoring in the second inning, when second baseman Jon Aughey was brought home on a single by left fielder Josh Stackley. PHOTO BY ROBERT GRUEN/THE GAMECOCK USC catcher Landon Powell runs toward second base during a win earlier this season over East Tennessee State. The Gamecocks fell to The Citadel on Wednesday. The Citadel threatened again in the third, loading the bases with one out. However, Gamecocks reliever Aaron Rawl struck out Matt Dean and Aughey to end the inning. Carolina (21-5) was silenced early and often by Williams’ bril G liant pitching. Williams allowed only three hits through the first seven innings. The Bulldogs took a significant lead in the sixth inning. Aughey struck out swinging but ad vanced to first on a wild pitch. He then took second and third on an error by USC third baseman Brian Buscher. Dean also reached first on the play and later stole second. Catcher Will Coker then sin gled to score Aughey. ♦BASEBALL, SEE PAGE 8