University of South Carolina Libraries
Thursday, January 25,1996 Gamecod The Gamecocks retain their second-place standing in the SEC East with a victory over * Mississippi State. MATT PRUITT Sports Editor The USC men's basketball team extended its winning streak to three games Wednesday night as they defeated Mississippi State 77-69. And while Saturday night's win apainsh Alahama was rhi^ frn aKrw-rf-ino ?O ~ from beyond the three-point arc, Carolina won Wednesday's game by bringing the ball into what was previously considered no-man's land, a place that most SEC teams consider the property of Mississippi State center Erick Dampier the lane. The Gamecocks seemed to have no problem with stomping through Mr. i Dampier's estate. Whether it was a slashing move from the quick Carolina guards, a post move from the big men or a put-back from anybody, the results were the same: points in the paint Even when the Bulldogs switched to a zone late in the first half, USC was undeterred, continually finding ways to get close to the hoop. There was much speculation before Wednesday's game about how well freshman center Larrv "Bud" Johnson. who started in place of the injured Nate WObourne, would fair against the SECs best center. Johnson was apparently unaffected. "He's a guy, just like I am," Johnson said. "He puts on his clothes just the ' same way I do." Apparently so. With a little help from the relentless Carolina doubleteam, Dampier was held to 12 points, scoring only six in each half. Though Johnson responded with only seven points of his own, he was by no means apologetic, saying that offense isn't a large part of his role this year. "I don't think about offense as much as people think I should," Johnson said. "I'm more of a shot-blocker and a rebounder." I Great! La H A 541 Sc ks stay hot And indeed, he has had little reason to worry about offense lately. Guard Larry Davis, who earned last week's SEC Player of the Week award for his performances against Vanderbilt and Alabama, kept the burners on against i the Bulldogs, leading all scorers with i 26 points and pulling down seven rebounds, including a team-leading five offensive rebounds. Guard Melvin Watson was the second-leading scorer for the Gamecocks with 15 points and led the team in rebounds with eight. Forward Malik nusseii ana guara Jtsd McKie contributed with 10 and 11 points, respectively. Head coach Eddie Fogler, who is renowned for not saying too much about any one victory or loss, let out a few cries of optimism after the game. "I usually don't go overboard, I don't want to go overboard here," Fogler said, "but certainly I think we made a nice statement here tonight that we are a very good basketball team and a competitive basketball team." Tm startiner to believe we could he pretty darn good here," Fogler said. "We're growing up. We're competing. We've got good players." Fogler also praised his freshman center for a mature performance against an intimidating opponent. "Bud's a factor... He alters shots, he bothers shots, he's a force," Fogler said. "Bud Johnson... already is and will certainly go on to be a quality bigman in this league, just because of his physical nature. He has a great attitude, he's a great worker, and he's just going to get better and better and better." The latter statement might apply to the USC team as whole, judging by the way they controlled Wednesday's game from beginning to end. Carolina exploded five minutes into the first half with a 16-0 run that spanned almost eight minutes and gave the Gamecocks a 24-8 lead. Mississippi State guard Marcus Bullard kept his team from being defeated in the first half with his seven points, but Larry hair takes more than a c( rry Marshal IR CARE SALO intee Ave. 256-6419 Five Poi , keep Dai _ .^ 1 3B1 I ami nauU ifiiaNl* kU J vww<? 5MCHH* ma99l99l|J Davis led all scorers in Wednesda Davis hit three free-throws, after being fouled on a three-point attempt with under a second remaining in the half, to give USC a 37-27 lead at the break. Though the Bulldogs battled back in the second half, once again with the help of Bullard and his 12 second-half points, they would never regain the lead they lost five minutes into the second half. In the last five minutes of the game, Mississippi State came within four because of their full court press w . . ' ' ll ;iiiu. m L N nts SMildB iipier cool 5. ** H^np^ ,'^t wKr^ *Hh wmm p 1 |E I jHttgiP ROBERT WALTON The Gamecock pi State counterpart, Darryl Wilson. If's game with 26 points. and subpar free-throw shooting by the Gamecocks, but that would be as close as they would come. USC will travel to Rupp Arena Saturday to face Kentucky, the No. 2 team in the nation. Fogler, who shares most coaches' philosophy that predicting your own games is taboo, said, "We'll be huge underdogs and rightfully so." When asked about the mere possibility of a win Saturday, Fogler added, "Anything's possible." Petal M Q: What kind oJ A: ltalldep Find out about Coops and Internships! Discover Resume Expert and Resume11 Leam about Job Search and Interviewin I Find out about CareerView: USCsJob i GetaHead Start from an Alumnus at th \ For juniors Only: Prepare for your Seni ... Take aTourofthe Career Center with a http://trainir SPORTS BRIEFS as TENNIS MELBOURNE, Australia ? Twenty hours after they began, Andre Agassi beat Jim Courier 6-7 (9-7), 2-6,6-3,64,6-2 tonight to reach the^Australian Open Qomifinolo nr?J M/v 1 >jvminiltuo axxu icgaiii tiiu ilU. i ranking. They began with the roof open at 10:57 p.m. the previous night after the Chanda Rubin-Arantxa Sanchez Vicario marathon, and stopped 35 minutes later when a cloudburst drenched the court with Courier leading 5-4. They resumed in the afternoon with the roof closed, following two women's matches and another rain delay, and finally finished at 7:06 Djn. AeassL seeded semnd will face No. 5 Michael Chang in the semifinals. In women's play, No. 8 Anke Huber and No. 16 Amanda Coetzer advanced to a semifinal match. Coetzer beat 15-year-old Swiss star Martina Hingis 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 and Huber upset No. 2 Conchita Martinez 4-6,6-2,6-1. No. 1 Monica Seles will face No. 13 Rubin in the other semifinal. FOOTBALL SANTA CLARA, Calif. ? Bill Walsh, who led San Francisco to three Super Bowl titles in the 1980s as head coach, rejoined the team as a coaching assistant in hopes his experience can restore the 49ers' offensive mystique. Walsh, 64, was given the title administrative assistant to the coaching staff. He will work exclusively with the offense and provide advice and counsel to offensive coordinator Marc Trestman. WASHINGTON ? NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue says a limited antitrust exemption from Congress would insulate the league from lawsuits by owners denied permission to move their teams. Tagliabue told the Senate Judiciary Committee the league to Career Hfc fjoB can I get with a Liberal, ends on what you can offer e Ji Writing Techniques! Ji gTips! Ji Shadowing Program! Ja e Networking Fair! Ja orYearNow! Ft Career Counselor! Fe f CAREER 1 ^ 5? Gose (BA) Bldg., 6th Floor 777-7280 Fax#: 777-7556 : career@studaflLsa^c.edu ig.csdsc.edu/studaff/careerl ? 7 socitated Press in many cases is powerless to stop owners who want to move teams because of fears of antitrust suits and having to pay triple damages. He said the NFL does not need an exemption as strong as that of major league baseball. There is the risk that withoutrthe safeguard more franchises will use moves as leverage to get better deals. LOS ANGELES ? The Los Antreles Dodeers have formed an ,alliance with a development company to study the feasibility of acquiring an NFL expansion franchise and building a football stadium. The Los Angeles area was without an NFL team this season after the Rams moved from to St Louis and the Raiders to Oakland. COLLEGE PARK, Md. ? Mancel Johnson, a star receiver for the University of Maryland, was arrested and charged with stealing trom two dormitory rooms last monthHe was suspended from the team by coach Mark Duflner for "violating team standards." Johnson will miss spring practice and the first two games next season, but will be eligible to practice in August. HOCKEY TORONTO ? The Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders maae tne Dest ot a bad situation, while the Toronto Maple Leafs added Kirk Muller in hopes of challenging for the Stanley Cup. * In a three-way trade, Toronto acquired Muller from New York and goalie Don Beaupre from Ottawa. Ottawa got Toronto backup goalie Damian Rhodes and junior defenseman Wade Redden, the Islanders' first-round pick last year. New York picked up junior defenseman Bryan Berard, chosen first overall last year by the Senators, along with Ottawa center Martin Straka and Toroftto left wing Ken Belanger. '.ek 1996! Arts Degree? \ mployers! ffl.29 34 Gamb. 152 \ 1 in. 30 2-3 Gamb. 152 in 30 3-4 Gamb. 152 a 31 2-2:30 Gamb. 152 a 31 2:304 GambLobby b. 1 2:30-3:30 Gamb. 152 b. 13:30-5 BA6th,R s ^CENTER itm