University of South Carolina Libraries
Gamecock Sports Schedule C d ■ Men’s golf at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate, Monday-Tuesday ” i^V y'"_>v “ ^“T" CN ■ Men’s basketball vs. Arkansas, 9 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN) l ^ III I ■ Swimming at the SEC Championships in Tuscaloosa, Wednesday-Saturday k / ^ / y/ ■ Baseball vs. George Mason, 3 p.m. Friday Page 8 “ - dlC (BaiMCOfk Monday, February 19,2001 ( USC drops crucial game to No. 16 Ole Miss 'Relentlessf Rebs shackle USC offense by Kyle Almond The Gamecock Mississippi’s defense, which came into Saturday’s game against USC as the best in the SEC, proved just how stifling it could be in the second half of the game. After allowing 39 points in the first half, the Rebels limited the Gamecocks to only 22 points in die second and came back from 12 down to win 67-61. “We lost to a team that just was relentless, and we struggled to get good shots down the stretch against a very good defensive team,” USC head coach Eddie Fogler said. According to Rebel coach Rod Barnes, relentlessness is characteristic of his team. “We don’t have what I consider the greatest talent in the world, but our kids work extremely hard and they believe in what we’re doing,” Barnes said. “Down the stretch, we just kept pecking away and pecking away (at the lead). I felt like we made some great defensive plays that put us in a position to win.” Ole Miss forced 17 USC turnovers, 12 of them coming in the second half. In their last eight games, the Rebels have forced 167 turnovers, an average of 20.9 a contest. The Rebels also stole the ball nine times. “We can’t make passes against them; it’s hard to pass the ball,” Fogler explained. “It’s like playing against Duke’s defense to some degree. You’ve got to spread them and drive (on) them.” For the first 20 minutes of the game, USC was doing a good job of scoring on Ole Miss, hitting almost 61 percent from the field, by far one of its best shooting halves of the year. But the Rebels were determined to shut down the Gamecocks, and they were able to crawl back into the game with their defensive intensity. “We really believe that, over a period of time, our defensive pressure is going to make plays,” Barnes said. “We feel like if we can get it in striking defense with four of five minutes to go, then our kids can make plays.” Rahim Lockhart gave Ole Miss a 60-59 lead with 2:09 remaining, and the Gamecocks started struggling to get good looks at the basket. Carolina could only muster a Jamel Bradley finger-roll with under a minute to play, when Ole Rebels see page 9 bean KayTora/ine uamecocK USC’s Tony Kitchings throws down a monster dunk in Saturday night’s game against Ole Miss. However, Kitchings’ team-high 17 points and five rebounds were not enough to get Carolina a win. Baseball team remains undefeated ■ Gamecocks sweep Delaware State over the weekend, improve to 9-0 on the year by Jason Malick The Gamecock After the Gamecocks improved its record to 9-0 and sustained a ranking of seventh in the Baseball Amer ica Top 25 poll, the Delaware State Hornets returned home with three newly obtained losses. USC won all three games this weekend by a marginal amount. But can the Gamecocks break the record of 22 wins set in the previous sea son? With nine straight victories, the Gamecocks are definitely showing promise, and they just might rewrite the record books tliis season. After the series closed on Sunday, head coach Ray Tamer chose not to dwell on records. “I worry about the upcoming games, not about streaks,” Tanner said. The coach was pleased with his team’s effort against Delaware State. “I saw some good signs this weekend,” he said. “For one, our pitching was consistent, and there were some good hits made. Needless to say, I’m happy about the results.” The Gamecocks continue the season at home when they play George Mason in a three-game series this weekend. South Carolina 12, Delaware State 2 (Sunday) Delaware State failed to go out with a bang when they lost the third and final game against the Gamecocks 12-2. In the top of the first and second innings, the Gamecocks committed a pair of enois, with one resulting in a Delaware State run in the second. The Gamecocks tied it up in the bottom of the second when Tim Whittaker hit a solo home run, his first of the season. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, DSU’s pitcher hit Whittaker, adding another run to the board. Another run would be scored when Garris Gonce was walked, and two more runs came home when Bryon Jeffcoat hit a ball deep into left field, upping the score 5-1. Jeffcoat earned another RBI when he hit a double in the bottom of the fifth. This final game against DSU marked Marcus McBeth’s first two doubles of the season when he hit his first in the sixth and another in the eighth. “I didn’t think I was going to play all too well today, but I just kept in mind BASEBALL see page 9 Gamecock reliever Tony Adler struck out two Hornets Sunday. ■ Sanders' 3-pointer clinches road victory for SEC West leaders by Michael Haney The Gamecock South Carolina’s NCAA Tournament hopes might be about to disappear after the Gamecocks dropped a hard-fought game to No. 16 Ole Miss on Saturday, 67-61. Carolina (13-10, 5-7 SEC) played one of its best games of the season, shooting 55 percent from the floor and out-hustling the Rebels (214, 9-3) for most of the game. But the Rebels stepped up when it counted, erasing a 12-point deficit in the second half with tough defense and a bit of luck. “The first 25 to 28 minutes, we played with a lot of heart and were motivated,” said USC coach Eddie Fqgler, who coached his 1,000th game Saturday. “We just struggled down the stretch to get good shots against their defense.” Thp fiamprnrkQ nlavpd an pnpnrptip first half, outscoring Ole Miss 27-7 in the final 10 minutes. Point guard Aaron Lucas had 11 first-half points, and the Rebels’ SEC-leading defense took a vacation as Carolina shot 60 percent from the floor and took a 39-32 lead into halftime. The second half was a different story. Though trailing 46-34, Ole Miss forced five straight turnovers and jumped back into the game with an 11-0 run. Justin Reed was the go-to guy for Ole Miss, scoring 13 of his 18 points in the second half in the absence of star center Rahim Lockhart. Lockhart was in foul trouble for most of the game and didn’t attempt a shot in the first half. “He’s quick and hard-working,” USC center Tony Kitchings said of Reed, whom he battled strongly against most of the game for rebounds and position. “When you’ve got someone like that, it’s hard to keep him off the glass. “I hit him one time, and he bounced 67 61 off and spun and laid it up. You’ve got to give it up to him ... he really wanted to win.” Jason Harrison hit a 3-pointer with 8:23 left to make the score 56-53, giving Mississippi its first lead since the first half. The Gamecocks fought back and led for the last time, 59-58, off Aaron , Lucas’ two foul shots. Rahim Lockhart put the Rebels up for good with 2:09 to play. Down 62-59 with less than 30 seconds left, Carolina played a tough defense, hoping to get a chance to come back and tie the game. But with the shot clock winding down to one second, the Rebels’ David Sanders heaved an off-balance 3-pointer that banked in and ended hopes of a Carolina comeback. “I knew when Jason Harrison had it that there was only five seconds on the clock,” Sanders said. “When he gave it to me, I looked up and there were two seconds (on the shot clock), so I just threw it up. Fortunately, it went in.” “That’s just part of the game,” Lucas said of the shot. “It’s one of those things you see... I was in awe.” r_i _c—i UUIIUVIJ 1UIV/1 IIIUUV V»IV/ IUU 1 J1IU VO to ice the contest. Kitchings led USC in scoring ^ Saturday with 17 points. He also pulled down a team-high five rebounds. Lucas scored 15. The Rebels, who earned their first road win ever against USC on Saturday, have now won the last six games and will play Florida on Wednesday. The Gamecocks will host Arkansas tomorrow night. The game will be the first of two nationally televised games by ESPN, and the USQTennessee game the following Tuesday will also be televised. Tip-off for the Arkansas game is set for 9 p.m. The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmaiLcom Track team posts 13 wins in their lone home meet of year ■ USC preparing for SEC Indoor Championships next weekend BY MANESHKA Eliatamb y The Gamecock The USC track and field team participated in its only home indoor meet Saturday, and posted thir teen wins in all. Carolina fared well in the Gamecock Indoor Open, despite a ma jority of its elite members sitting out and resting for next weekend’s SEC Indoor Championships in Lexington, Ky. iviosi 01 uit; uny b ueiu evtaiuj weit; dominated by the home team. USC started the day off with a win in the men’s high jump. Fred Townsend won the event with a jump of 6-6 3/4. James Adkisson later went on to win the men’s long jump with a distance of 22 5. Chris Steddum and Jared Farabee finished first and second respectively in the men’s pole vault event, and USC’s Lori Tvarkunas won the women’s pole vault. “We did really well today and had a women’s provisional qualifier for the NCAAs when Lori Tvarkunas won her event,” pole vault coach Kevin Brown said. “We’re definitely going into the SECs with the idea of win ning.” The day also turned out to be a good day for the Gamecock throwers. Adam Bishop won the men’s shot-put with a throw of 53-9 1/4. Matt Staub and Bishop continued their winning streaks by coming in first and second in the men’s 35-pound weight. Lynette Keppeler’s throw of52-2 3/4 was good enough to get her first place in the women’s shot put. “In the women’s shot-put, Lynette Keppeler had a throw of 15.95 (meters), which was a provisional qualifier,” assistant coach Mike Ser gent said. “Right now she’s around No. 6 in the country; this also happened to be her personal best.” On the track, Gamecock Corey Taylor won the 55-meter hurdles. “I decided to stay relaxed and focused going into the finals, and that helped me win the race,” Taylor said. “I go into the SECs ranked in the No. 2 spot, and I am confident that I will do well.” UiC s Jarred Johnson won the men’s 600-meters. Johnson, whose ' actual event in the outdoors is the 400-meter hurdles, led the race from the very beginning. “I’ve been training hard, and the coaches’ and my teammates’ support has made it easy for me,” Johnson said. “The fact that it was at home was also an added advantage for me. I hope to run my all time best next weekend at the SEC Indoor Championships.” Other USC winners included: Abby Sox in the mile at 5:33.97; Nicole Behms in the 3000-meters at 11:22.88; Shamus Singletary in the 400-meters at 52.79; and USC’s men’s DMR, which won its relay with a time of 1 T.46.90. The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmail.com