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Coltseum inspires I BY PETE FEHELEY Sports Editor The noisy crowds are the essence of the homecourt ad vantage in basketball, but the Marquette players weren't convinced of this on Saturday. After becoming the first school to beat the Gamecocks twice in Carolina Coliseum, the Warriors were eager to discuss their reverse psychology. Sophomore center Bo Ellis said the boisterous pre-game attitude of the Coliseum crowd helped to intensify his con centration on the game. "When I saw those football players come out to form a cheering section for the Carolina team, it helped me to realize how sweet it would be to win here in Carolina Coliseum," Ellis said. Junior guard Lloyd Walton added, "I enjoy playing before big, fired-up crowds like that." "They gave us hell when they beat us down here last year, and now it's our chance to return the favor to them," Walton said. Walton was referring to the. actions of several Marquette players as they left the court, flashing victory signs and several hand signals that require the use of only one finger, as well as yelling at the crowd on the way off the court. "We meant no hostility, we were just glad to win here and the people here gave us a nice ovation when we were in troduced: They are good basketball fans," Walton said. Freshman guard Butch Lee, from New York's Dewitt Clinton High, was awed by the Coliseum audience. "This is the biggest crowd we've played before all year. How many people saw this game on television?" Lee asked. Warrior coach Al McGuire expressed a different approach to road games before large crowds. "I have complete concentration during the national anthem. I tell myself crowd Va rrio rs not be a spectator, to be a coach, to keep my perspective," McGuire said. McGuire pointed out that he uses a zone press on the road and a man to man press at home.. "We play a much more passive game on the road, and today I didn't want the crowd to get rolling. When Carolina came down with -a chance to lead by four points, I was worried," he said. "The fans give me hell, make signs about me, but when the game is over, all that stuff is forgotten," McGuire said. McGuire said that he worried that the game was getting too physical at times and he spoke to the referees in hopes of avoiding any altercations. McGuire and his players had praise for the Gamecocks and voiced their support for Carolina as a tournament team. "I think Carolina as well as Notre Dame should be invited to the NCAA tournament," he said. Junior forward Earl Tatum said he was convinced Carolina was a tournament team, though he declined to specify which tournament he meant. "They are real tough, and have all the material it takes to go a long way, but they obviously have had -some problems," Tatum said. Ellis said he believed Carolina was missing some leadership when the pressure situations arose. "They don't seem to have a take charge type of guard," he said. So, despite a very vocal Carolina Coliseum crowd and a Gamecock team that has the material, the Marquette Warriors overcame both ob stacles to emerge victorious. Carolina has impressed seven different teams that have beaten the Gamecocks, but impressing the NCAA selection committee will have to be achieved in some other manner. Offensive 1n BY MARK LEARY Asst. Sports Editor After the Gamecocks were downed by the Marquette Warriors 6845 Saturday afternoon, Frank McGuire just shook his head and said, "It's been one of those years when we can't win the close ball games." Saturday's nationally televised contest was another close one, but the Gamecocks were on the losing end again as their record dropped to 15-8 on the season. The Gamecocks did have their chances to defeat the ninth-ranked Warriors though. With 9:28 remaining in the game Carolina took the lead 48-46 on a 17 foot jumper by Nate Davis. This gave the Gamecocks the lead for the first time since they lead 4-2 in the beginning of the game. McGuire said "At this point we were trying to run the clock down before we put Boswell back in the game. (Boswell was on the bench with four fouls.) We led 48-46 and then.we had a bad spell." The bad spell McGuire talked about encompassed a four minute and twenty second scoring drought by the Gamecocks. In this period the Warriors turned the ball game around taking a four point lead before Gilloon could end the drought with a 13 foot jumper with 5:08 remaining in the contest. McGuire said, "It was' our of fense that beat us today. We kept turning the ball over. We played a good defensive game, our offense was the difference." The Gamecock turnovers stood out like a sore thumb. Carolina had 19 to Marquette's 8. McGuire said, "We can't turn the ball over that many times against a team like Marquette and expect to win. "In the first half Carolina turned the ball over 14 times to a meager two for the Warriors. Bo Ellis, Marquette's 6-9 center, hurt the Gamecocks throughout the entire game as he not only got Boswell in foul trouble, but he also Photos by Murry Sil ustakes tell was the game's leading scorer as he tallied 19 points. McGuire said, "He can kill you inside or outside. Against a zone his outside shooting is excellent. In a man to man they will keep going inside to him." McGuire added, "Ellis could foul out everybody on the court. You can't keep one man on him for to long or they will foul out." Marquette's excellent pressure foul shooting was also a key factor in the Warrior's victory. Marquette converted on 16-18 free throws and at one point in the game the Warriors hit 14 free throws in a row. McGuire said, "When you foul them as we did they make the foul shots. They are good shooters in the clutch." Al McGuire, Marquette's head coach com mented that it was normal for his The thinu I do outcome team to convert on the pressure free throw situations. McGuire said, "If we are in a game that is close at the end we usually win it. We are a clutch team." The Marquette press had a definite effect on Carolina's ex cessive number of turnovers. McGuire said, "Marquette's press is excellent. From the stands it looks like it would be easy to solve, but it sure wasn't." Reflecting on a team of Marquette's ability McGuire said, "That is a team that if they get going will kill you. Look what-they did to Fordham a couple of nights ago. They deserve to be ranked higher than ninth in the nation." McGuire concluded by saying, "You're not disgraced by losing to this ball club. We still will have a fight on our hands against Canisius." rn or my dinner. #1A