University of South Carolina Libraries
GAMECOCK ATHLETICS Mens' Basketball vs. Georgia Saturday, 1:00 p.m. Frank McGuire Arena Womens' Basketball vs. Arkansas Saturday, 3:30 p.m. Frank McGuire Arena Late 18LARRY WILLIAMS Senior Writer Christmas arrived late for the USC men's basketball team. After enduring a tough loss to Clemson and two horrifying upsets to UNC-Asheville and Charleston Southern in December, the Gamecocks (10-5) have caught fire in January to lead the SEX! East and, perhaps more importantly, have renewed their once-dying NCAA Tournament hopes. TTOn ? -i J il _ uov/ came irum id uown in me second half Wednesday to beat the Florida Gators 80-79, and in the B^^pppppr ^ JF Af' ' m> \ * m ' 0+ I W F I jjj^ Sl'fW MK0v iflP jtrr^ LARRY WILLIAMS Senior Writer What were promising prospects ft quickly turned sour during and after 58-39 loss to arch rival Clemson D Carolina host; LARRY WILLIAMS Senior Writer For the USC men's basketball team, it's crunch time. The Gamecocks are atop the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference with a 4-0 record (10-5 overall). v While USC's December losses against UNC-Asheville and Charleston Southern won't get past the NCAA Selection Committee, continuing to post formidable numbers in conference play will be certain to turn committee members' heads. And, as the schedule might indicate, the time is now. In their next eight games, the Gamecocks nlav eieht SEC contests. including: Georgia (twice), Alabama H ' jfl SP0R1 0 run k< process edged their conference record to 4-0 ?the best mark out of the 12 SEC teams. With time running down on the shot and game clocks, sophomore guard BJ McKie drove the lane and threw up a running jumper that sailed through the net with 4.6 seconds left to give USC the comefrom-behind win over the Gators, who dropped to 8-8 (1-3 SEC). It was an improbable ending for the Gamecocks in a game they found themselves behind early and often. Down by 16 in the second half, the Gamecocks went on a 22-5 run 1 tM jIHI *' * What the Gamecocks ex relatively easy four games : >r USC Asheville, S.C. State, Charle USCs and Furman turned into a ten ec. 17. that might still haunt them 5 Georgia in k (away), Ole Miss, Vanderbilt (away), LSU (away), Kentucky and Florida (Feb 8). USC will have a chance to improve its SEC record to 5-0 tomorrow against Georgia. The Bulldogs, who lost all five starters from last year, have surprised many with a 12-3 start. Leading the way has been sophomore guard G.G. Smith, who is the son of head coach Tubby Smith, and a young cast of over-achievers who propelled Georgia to No. 21 before their 86-65 loss to Kentucky Tuesday. The Bulldogs, who managed to keep with the No.4 Wildcats to begin the game, were out-scored 15-6 over the final 5:43 of the half to go down 40-26. Chad Barnhardt, backup QB for last season's Gamecock football squad has n >nrpn transferred to 01 Ul\ 1 Q the University j w j ^ of South J\EWS Florida. Barnhardt said he wanted to play near his home in Lake Wells, F1 and have a chance at being a starting QB. r$ ON MONDAY Complete gan *o r 'js IjHIUI in the last five minutes to overwhelm the Gators. And no one was bigger than senior guard Larry Davis, who led Carolina with a game-high 26 points on 7-13 shooting from the field, including 6-11 from 3-point range. Davis also was a perfect 6-6 from the free-throw line. "It was a lot of fun," Davis said. "The last time we played here, we ' lost to them, and in order for us to be a good team, we have to win these type games away from home." USC has won four straight SEC games and holds a lofty perch above the SEC's Eastern Division. With ' Bud Johnson (left) finish* Melvin Watson (above) Tigers. William Gallman Furman. After an awftd D< I Fi ! pi pected to be a USC answered the against UNC- a lackluster, 80-76 u ston Southern Asheville Dec. 19. For tf rifying monster game at home, the Gi in March. overcome a poor first h PV SEC hflttlp I rv?' m v>^ V* v/ Tip-off at Frank McGuire Arena tomorrow is 1 p.m. Notes: LeRon Williams, who played for Florida the last two seasons, will play for the Gamecocks next December. He reportedly registered for classes this week. Williams, a former high-school basketball Mr. Florida selection, is a 6-7 junior forward and will have two years of eligibility left. Williams started 24 games last season and averaged 10 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He led the Gators in field goal percentage (.52) and blocked shots (34). Minnesota Timberwolves photographer Eugene Amos is planning to file a law suit against Chicago Bull bad-boy (_)J Dennis Rodman. Rodman m i kicked Amos in the groin f\| It ' Wednesday night after Amos filmed Rodman while on the baseline. Amos was carried out of the Target Center on a stretcher and in severe pain. ieorgia ne analysis of Carolina vs. G cock cc their second road win, the Gamecocks doubled their win total from last season. The Gators opened the second half in dominant fashion, as they broke open a 39-39 halftime tie to extended their lead to as much as 16 when they went ahead 74-58 with just over five minutes in the game. Then the Gamecocks began their last-gasp effort. Chipping bit-by-bit, the Gamecocks found themselves down by only five when Davis canned a 3-pointer with 3:55 left to make the score 74-69. Twelve seconds later, sophomore 9 ii I H i^?fNT s"^ " """-%*.' . v> *L* ' -" ROBERT WALTON The Gameco ? ofT a slam dunk against Clemsot drives to the basket against tb (right) goes up for a shot again; pc., (JSC is undefeated in 1997. rst see : Clemson loss with rally fell shori ipset loss to UNC- crowd of 5,19; le second consecutive It was the imecocks could not Gamecocks, w alf effort, and a late finishing 38.8 William Gallman BJ! 20 6-7 So. 3 0 Men 10 i Ryan Stack Lari 54 6-11 Jr. 4 6 CAROL] The NCAA voted earlier this week to allow scholarship athletes to hold down part-time jobs. RT^S This is the first time athletes are being allowed to IlM/ ^ accept a salary for employment. This rule does not allow players to market their name or number on athletic apparel unlike pro athletes who get a portion of the earnings. tmeback Bud Johnson was fouled and nailed the two free throws. On the ensuing possession, Johnson again came through with a block, after which Davis nailed two free throws after having been fouled to complete an 18-0 run. All-in-all, USC out-scored the Gators 22-4 in the last 5:13, the most important points coming on McKie's running jumper. "We felt very confident that the ball would bounce in our corner and felt good about our chances," McKie said after the game. The Gamecocks opened the game ,t f& f Ih mFT ?v P :^^P*-: i^MMUMMflMkL ' 4' j t as USC was upset before a Des] 8 at Frank McGuire Arena. Dec. 21 third consecutive loss for the Dec. 28 ho again struggled shooting, upset, t] percent from the floor. Vickie G.G. Smi( -2 So. 12 5-11 ! ry Davis Michael C 8 Sr. 24 6-4 S 6. Arizona 7. Minnesc 8. Iowa Stj mm 9 9- Utah 10. Louisvil i ir II. Marylai 1. Kansas \ 2. Wake Forest !o'nT lo. Duke o. Llemson . , . 14.Xavier 4. Cincinnati c v ^ i 15. btanfor o. Kentucky BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD Temple 70 #4 Cincinnati 55 #12 New Mexico 57 Tulsa 80 Tulane 87 #14 Xavier, Ohio 85 victory with a 5-0 lead, but the Gators answered quickly with five-straight, and out-scored the Gamecocks 2619 over the next 13:33. With 2:12 left in the half, Davis nailed a 3-pointer to close Florida's lead to 35-34. Then, Davis sank two free throws with 7.7 seconds left to tie the score at 39 a piece going into halftime. The Gamecocks must now turn their attention to No. 21 Georgia, who visit Carolina tomorrow. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. n ^ pm k ? Lm A *1 pite pounding S.C. State 79-60 on , USC's troubles were not over. On , the Gamecocks suffered another his time an 85-81 loss to Charleston BASKETBALL page 17 th Devln Baker So. 15 6-7 Jr. /ihMI iisoi ]hadwiek o. Lorenzo Hall 32 6-9 Jr. QRGIA 16. Villanova ita 17. Indiana ite 18. Michigan 19. Boston College lie 20. Mississippi id l 1. Georgia ;xico 22. North Carolina 23. Texas 24. Oregon d 25. Texas Tech