The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 21, 1974, Image 11
Cox's i
Benefi
BY STEVE PARKER
Sports Editor
Carolina held only a four
point lead, 26-22, when Coach
Frank McGuire substituted
forward Tommy Cox for
freshman Nate Davis
Saturday night against
Pennsylvania.
Only 4:18 remained in the
first half at the time, but Cox
made the most of the op
portunity given him. The 6-6
junior scored five of USC's
next 11 points to pace the
Gamecocks to a nine-point
halftime lead.
Cox connected on two more
jumpers in the second half
and his hustling play proved
to be instrumental in the
Gamecock win. Cox finished
the evening with nine points
and six rebounds. Prior to
the game, his season
statistics showed just eight
points and seven rebounds.
"Cox earned the right to
play by doing well in prac
tice,"McGuire said "We put
him in and he played a fine
game."
"I have been hustling in
practices," Cox said. "Coach
gave me a chance and I
played alright. In the
beginning of the season I had
an ankle injury and later on I
had five stitches on my face.
I am just now starting to get
well."
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ts USC
Prior to the season opener,
McGuire told sportswriters
at a press luncheon that Cox
probably would have been a
starter this season if he had
not sustained the ankle in
jury.
Cox did start the second
half of the Penn game , much
to his surprise. "I didn't
expect it at all. Right before
the second half Coach said,
"You did a good job in the
first half so you'll start the
second."
Cox hit his first field goal
with 1:39 left in the first half.
When his 17-footer from the
corner passed through the
net, several players on the
bench cheered more
noticably than usual. Cox
noticed the support.
"The second string really
sticks together. In practice,
we always give the first team
a real workout. This team is
really together-- everyone is
for everyone else, Cox said,
explaining the unity among
the substitute players.
"Brian (Winters) gave me
that first pass and when the
shot went in it took all the
pressure off of my
shoulders," said Cox.
When that first jumper fell
through, Penn probably did
not know the pressure that
Cox's presence would apply
ot them for the remainder of
the game.
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USC reserve
Tommy Cox, above,
came off bench with
excellent performance
while Penn's top
scorer Ron Haigler,
below, had only
eight points.
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BY JIM IIERSH
Sports News Editor
For the first half of the USC
Penn game Saturday night, the
Quakers tried futily to find a way
to score and rebound against the
Gamecock's zone defense.
Then when Penn finally did solve
the zone early in the second half,
USC changed to a man-to-man and
again pulled away from the
Quakers, this time for their 67-57
win.
"We preferred for them to play
us man-to-man," Penn's 6-8 center
Ron Haigler said after the game.
"Our style of play is much better
suited to run against a man-to-man
than it is against a zone."
However, when USC did switch
to a man-to-man, it stopped Penn's
comeback attempt, which had seen
the Quakers erase a seven-point
halftime deficit.
"Their zone didn't hurt us nearly
as much as their man-to-man,"
Quaker Head Coach Chuck Daly
said. "We got back into the game
against their zone, but when they
switched defenses it changed the
tempo of the game"
Penn guards Whitey Varga and
Bill Finger were mostly respon
sible for pulling USC out of its zone.
Combined they were 13 for 18 in
field goal attempts, most of which
were from outside the Gamecock's
zone.
"Their zone was collapsing on
our big men and it was my job to
try to stick in some shots from the
outside to loosen them up," Finger,
who like Varga, didn't start the
game, said. "After we hit a few
shots from the outside they ad
justed and the wing men of the zone
began to come out."
Penn's coach Daly said he
thought the Gamecocks won the
game by controlling the rebounds,
especially in the first half.
"Mathias (Bob) did a great job off
the boards," Daly said. "He really
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hurt us by keeping the ball alive
when they were on offense. And
USC limited us to one shot every
time in the first half while they
were getting three or four shots.
It's tough to win when that hap
pens."
USC had 46 rebounds in the
ame, while Penn got only 33.
Mathias had 14, ten in the first half,
and Greiner had 11. In addition,
Penn's top scorers, Haigler and 6-8
Forward John Engles, were held
far below their averages. Haigler,
who averages 17.6 points, had
eight, and Engles, who averages
l1.8,managed only seven.
Penn's sharpshooter Finger also
said Mathias was a key in the
ame. "Their offensive reboun
ling really hurt us," Finger said.
"Mathias and Mark Greiner were
inbelievable. The other guys
Brian Winters and Mike Dunleavy
-got the points, but Mathias,
Greiner and then Tommy Cox
killed us."
Haigler, who Penn thinks can be
n All-Americansaid, "They got so
nany second shots, especially in
the first half. We did a poor job of
>oxing out and it's hard to win
when you get out-rebounded like
hat. They really hit the offensive
aoards, particularly Mathias."
The loss was Penn's fourth of the
season; they are now 10-4. "We
think we have a good team, but we
iaven't been playing up to our
potential," Haigler said. The
Quakers are 3-0 in Ivy League
ompetition and are picked to win
heir fifth straight conference title
.his year.
All the Quaker's losses have
ome in non-league games, and
Haigler said playing teams outside
:he conference "takes a slight edge
)ff the game."
"But, we were ready for a tough
lame with USC," Haigler said,
"and I don't think the game being
)utside the conference was a
actor in the outcome.
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