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Gamecock Sports Schedule ■ Softball at NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., 2:30 p.m. Friday ■ Baseball vs. George Mason, 3 p.m. Friday ■ Men’s basketball at Georgia, 5 p.m. Saturday (FoxSports South) ■ Track and field at SEC Indoor Championships in Lexington, Saturday-Sunday USC in must-win situation at Georgia by Michael Haney The Gamecock A postseason berth is what every college basketball team plays for each year. South Carolina will make one more bid for its postseason hopes tomorrow when they travel to Athens to wrestle with the Geoigia Bulldogs. With two close home losses in a row, tomorrow’s contest is a must-win situation for the Gamecocks. Carolina’s last home win was against the Bulldogs on Feb. 7, as Aaron Lucas sank the winning bucket with 2.6 seconds remaining to lift USC to a two-point win. Since then, Carolina has lost three close contests in a row, including a five-point loss to 19th-ranked Alabama, a six-point loss to 16th- ranked Ole Miss and a two point heartbreaker to unranked Arkansas at home Tuesday night. The last loss was probably the most disappointing of the season for the Gamecocks, who saw a commanding 65 55 lead with less than four minutes remaining turn into a victory for the Razorbacks. Arkansas used full-court pressure to force four straight Carolina turnovers en route to the comeback. “I actually feel sony for them,” USC coach Eddie Fogler said of his team after Tuesday’s loss. “I generally don’t feel sorry for teams I coach.” The Gamecocks will likely need to sweep the remaining opponents and collect a few wins in the SEC Tournament to have an outside shot at the NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks have a few factors in their favor: a win over a top-five team (No. 5 Florida in January), an 8-3 non conference record and three victories over teams ranked 26th to 50th. However, they also have a 4-7 record in their past 11 games, five losses to Top 25 competition and a below .500 conference mark. “It’s getting late for everybody,” center Tony Etchings said. “Everybody’s trying to make a run; even the top teams are trying to make runs, not just the teams that are on the bubble.” The Bulldogs are one of the teams looking to make a run. With the loss to USC two weeks ago, Georgia has lost four of their last six. At the time of their loss to Carolina, Georgia held first place in the SEC Eastern Division and was ranked in the Top 25. Since then, they have dropped to third in the division. “I want to win these next four games,” UGA senior Anthony Evans said before the team’s win over Tennessee VVfednesday night. “I don’t want to look at what happens if we win two out of four. I want to go for the gusto. Wfe want to get another winning streak started. “I’ve always been told, people don’t remember how you start, they remember how you finish.” The same holds true for the Gamecocks. On Saturday, USC hopes to give its fans a finish to remember. Tip-off 6 G ■ LOCATION: Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, Ga. ■ TIME: 5 p.m. Sunday ■ TV: FoxSports South ■ RADIO: WVOC 540 AM ■ RECORDS: USC (13-11, 5-8 SEC), Georgia (15-11, 8-5) is set for 5 p.m., and the game will be televised regionally on FoxSports South. The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmail.com USC confident going into SEC meet Special to The Gamecock Pap Howard is one of USC’s best chances for an SEC individual title. ■ Gamecock women still ranked No. 1 in country BY MANESHKA Eliatamby The Gamecock After a successful three months in the indoor arena, the Gamecock track and field teams are looking to end the indoor season with a bang at the SEC Indoor Championships in Lexington this weekend. Most of the top-ranking athletes on the team, including sprinters Demetria Washington and Pap Howard, took the weekend off from competition last weekend to rest for Saturday’s meet. The team is in good fomi going into the championships. Expectations are high for the teams. USC head coach Curtis Frye said he expects the women to place among the fr»n fhron anH ic mnfiHont ahruit tho men’s ability to succeed as well. However, Frye said the SEC is one of the toughest and most talented conferences in the country, and a tough task is at hand. Frye added that doing well at this level would rank the school among the top 10 schools in the nation. The Gamecock women go into the competition ranked not only No. 1 in the conference, but also No. 1 in the nation. They will be led by Washington and 2000 Olympian Miki Barber, who took most of the preseason off in order to recuperate from the long season she had last year. Barber and Washington will be joined by co-captains Jackie Madison, Sarah Davis, Lynette Keppeler and Kristina Brown in the attempt to take top honors in the conference. Washington has been a force all season for the Gamecocks. She was named SEC Female Athlete of the Wfeek last week and is the favorite in both of her events — the 200 and 400 meters. Wishington will also race in the 4x400 meter relay. Keppeler was named SEC Athlete of the Week this week. She is one of seven Gamecocks ranked first in the conference going into Saturday’s meet. “I guess it’s mine to lose,” Keppeler said of the SEC shotput title. “I have to go out and defend what seems to be mine right now. “I might tape a few photos of my competitors in my bag to get me fired up. We are going to have some big surprises in the shot-put this weekend to help the whole team win the title.” The women will face stiff competition against Florida and defending champion Arkansas. The men’s team is ranked 12th in the nation and will be led by captains Howard, C. J. Anderson and Graham Newman. “The captains have done an uuiduuiuiug juu yicycumg uieu icuuw athletes mentally for the SEC, and this will definitely help the athletes at this competition,” Frye said. “Especially those competing at this level for the very first time. “Our kids seem to rise to the occasion, and I am confident that they will come away from the meet triumphant.” A strong performance at this weekend’s finale could be a major step in establishing confidence for the outdoor season, which begins in March. This season’s Outdoor Championships will be hosted by USC on May 10. The indoor season will continue after this weekend for the Gamecocks, who qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships that begin March 9. The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmail.com Women’s Basketball Kentucky loss makes coach ‘really angry5 by Charles Tomlinson The Gamecock The USC Lady Gamecocks (11 15,6-7 SEC) broke a school record this past week when they defeated Mississippi State at home to win theii sixth SEC game this season, their most SEC wins ever in a single season. However, the last time Carolina was in action, they suffered a devastating 61-59 loss to last-place Kentucky. “I’m really angry about oui Kentucky loss,” USC head coach Susan Walvius said. “I don’t think we played well. We had opportunities at the end of the game to win die game and I don’t think we liandled the game situations well.” Following the loss, Walvius fears there won’t be a place for the Lady Gamecocks in the postseason “I’m not sure there has ever beer the SEC with a winning record anc not gone on to the postseason,’ Whlvius said “It was an opportunity for us to really accomplish some things for our first time as a program in this very tough conference.” USC will conclude the regulai season at home Sunday with an SEC match-up against No. 4 LSU. The Lady Tigers have a 17-8 overall record and a 7-5 SEC record. However, LSU was winless this past week, the most recent game ending in a 75-73 loss to No. 1 Tennessee. For LSU, Marie Ferdinand has been an all-around leader. The senioi guard leads the team in scoring (20.6 ppg), rebounds (5.4 rpg) and steals (2.4 spg). Senior forward April Brown is averaging 12 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Forward ■ LOCATION: Frank McGuire Arena, Columbia, S.C. ■ TIME: 2 p.m. Sunday ■ RADIO: SportsRadio 1400 AM ■ RECORDS: LSU (17 8, 7-5 SEC), USC (Il ls, 6-7) Ke-Ke Tardy is averaging 9.3 points a gatae. “We’re going to have to basically really, really work hard to beat LSU,” USC’s Shannon Segres said. “We’re defijiitely going to have to focus on LSU and their players; they have a lot of talent.” tJSC has been led this season by forward Teresa Geter, a transfer from Tennessee and a Columbia native. Geter folds ifi scoring with an average of 11.6 points per game, and she also leads the team in steals with 2.1 per game and blocks with 2.2 per game. The last time USC defeated LSU was nearly three years ago on Feb. 26, 1998. The Lady Gamecocks gained a comfortable lead and won 76-61. USC trails in the overall series 3-9. Game time is 2 p.m. Sunday at the Frank McGuire Arena. The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmail.com Despite early setbacks, Lady Gamecocks stay positive on the road jlNo. 19 USC is 8-6 after ' 12 straight games away from Beckham Field by Kyle Almond The Gamecock It’s been a busy first couple of weeks for USC’s softball team, which has played 12 road games in a row since starting the year at home Feb. 3. The No. 19 Lady Gamecocks have seen its share of ups and downs in the early going, but, for the most part, head coach Joyce Compton had positive things to say about the team’s performance. “I see a lot of good things that the team has done,” Compton said. “We’re in a position in a minority of the games to win at the end, and that’s where we want to be. A lot of times, it’s a game of breaks, and we’ve had a few not go our way.” USC is 8-6, with big wins coming against No. 12 Nebraska and No. 4 Washington. However, the team has had tough losses, dropping its last two games by one run each. “I think we are probably playing better than our record, but that really doesn’t make a whole lot of difference because you’re judged by what your final record is,” Compton said. “On the whole, I think the defense has been pretty solid. We’ve had pretty good pitching. I’ve seen some games where we’ve made real good adjustments, and I’ve seen some games where we’ve been a little slack. But offensively, we’re just not very consistent, and I think that that’s what we need to do a little better.” Senior outfielder Megan Donohoo is one of the exceptions. The Lady Gamecocks’ lead-off hitler has been on a tear, batting a team-high .366 with 15 hits on the year. Donohoo also leads the team in walks and stolen bases. “My goal this year was to just slay consistent,” Donohoo said. “The past three years, I’ve had spurts where I’ve been really good and really low. I’ve just been trying to stay consistent, not think so much in the (batter’s) box and just go after the pitchers and attack the ball.” Compton is pleased with Donohoo’s efficiency. “She’s done a real nice job for us as far as creating some things, and that’s what we look for, obviously, in a lead-off hitter,” Compton said. “I think she’s been consistent, and that’s not what we’re getting out of enough people on the offensive side.” The Lady Gamecocks face another road trip this weekend when they travel to Columbus, Ga., for the NFCA Leadoff Classic. USC has competed in tournaments the past two weekends against top ranked teams and taken several losses, but Compton feels the early adversity will help the team in the long run. “We’re preparing for the SEC season, and to do that, you want to play good competition,” ‘I see a lot of good things that the team has done. We’re in a position in a majority of the games to win at the end, and that’s where we want to be.’ Joyce Compton USC Softball Head Coach she said. “Even in the Arizona game, it was an 8 0 loss, but for four innings, it’s a 0-0 game. “We had opportunities that don’t show up in the score book. Knowing that you’re in those games and are capable of winning should be a confidence-builder to the team.” Donohoo shares her coach’s optimism. “I think we’ve come out pretty strong,” she said. “In Arizona (for the Fiesta Bowl Classic), we played some tough competition, and I thought we hung with them pretty good. We definitely have a long way to go, but I think we have a lot of talent and we can improve with each week.” The sports desk can Ik reached at gamecockspqrts@hotmail.com I- TT1 --"‘TM rwa_Lx,-.^ ~ 1 Travis Lynn/The Gamecock Point guard Aaron Lucas hit the game-winning shot the last time the Gamecocks faced Georgia.