8 THE GAMECOCK ♦ Friday, January 31, 2003 GAME SCHEDULE
MEN’S & WOMEN’S SWIMMING at Georgia, 4 p.m. Friday
CONTACT TIS MEN’S TENNIS vs. Winthrop, 10 a.m. Saturday
uu MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Kentucky, 1 p.m. Saturday
Story ideas? Questions? Comments? SOFTBALL vs. North Carolina, 1 p.m. Sunday
E-mail us at gamecocksports@hotmail.com WOMEN’S BASKETBALL at Kentucky, 2 p.m. Sunday
USC gets back on track
Gamecocks, led by Penn and Ciocan, hand
the Gators their 6th straight conference loss
Florida 64
(8-11,0-6 SEC)
^ (15U4S?3) 78
BY BRAD SENKIW
THE GAMECOCK
The USC women’s basketball
team rebounded from two
straight losses last night to keep
Florida Winless in the SEC with
a 78-64 victory. The Gamecocks
(15-4,3-3 SEC) struck early and of
ten as they dominated the young
Gators (8-11,0-6) from start to fin
isn.
“I was really pleased the way
we came out of the gate tonight,”
Carolina head coach Susan
Walvius said. “That’s been an is
sue for us our first several SEC
games. We haven’t started strong
and it was important for our team
to come out and do that and make
their presence known early. (The)
first five minutes of the.game—
I’m not sure we can play much
better offensively. ”
Jocelyn Penn led the way with
19 points and 15 rebounds for
Carolina, while Cristina Ciocan
tossed in 18 points and eight as
sists. USC also got a big game in
the post from Petra Ujhelyi, as
she added 15 points and grabbed
11 rebounds.
“Jocelyn Penn didn’t have her
usual night tonight, but I thought
Cristina Ciocan stepped up, had
a good game for us,” Walvius
said. “You saw moments of bril
liance from Petra (Ujhelyi)
tonight, and you’ll see her con
tinue to get better and better.”
Florida’s offense came from
Bernice Mosby’s 16 points and
Sarah Lowe’s 12 points. Gators’
star Vanessa Hayden played for
the first time since Dec. 7 and was
held to five points and three re
bounds.
The Gamecocks hit 43.3 per
cent of its shots and held Florida
to 36.8 percent from the field.
Carolina got back on defense re
ally well, keeping the Gators
scoreless on the fast break. USC
scored 18 points off of Florida’s 16
turnovers and won the battle in
“Our goal was to get in
their minds because
they were freshmen ”
CRISTINA CIOCAN
use WOMEN'S BASKETBALL POINT GUARD
the paint 36-32.
Carolina quickly jumped out
with a Penn layup just 20 seconds
into the game. Florida hung with
the Gamecocks early and were
down only six when Sarah
Burgess came off the bench to hit
two straight 3-pointers with 13:13
left in the half, giving Carolina a
22-10 lead.
After several scoreless posses
sions from both teams, USC used
a Ujhelyi jumper and a Penn 3
pointer to gain another double
digit lead. Carolina was in con
trol with a 38-24 lead at halftime.
Florida came out fighting early
in the second half, cutting the
lead to seven
with 18:19 left
to play. The
Gamecocks an:
swered with a
jumper by
Ujhelyi and 3
pointers by
Ciocan and
Kelly Morrone.
USC built its
largest lead of
the game, 59-38,
with 10:55 left
to play. Ciocan
made the play
of the game
with 8:43 left
when she cut
across the lane
and tipped a
no-look pass to
Ujhelyi, who
scored the easy
layup.
Florida con
tinued to fight
but could get S
no closer than I
14, as the more I
experienced
Gamecocks
took care of the I
struggling,
young vjdiors. PH0T0 by johnny haynes/the gamecock
“Our goal
was to get in USC’s Petra Ujhelyi, right, drives to the basket against Florida. She scored 15
their minds be- points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the win.
ranco thov
were freshmen,” Ciocan said. “I
think we did a pretty good job.”
The Gamecocks now travel to
Lexington, Ky., on Sunday for a
showdown with the Wildcats.
Kentucky (9-8,2-3) is coming off
a 79-51 loss to the 24th-ranked
Georgia Bulldogs last Sunday
and have had a week off to pre
pare for Carolina. Rita Adams
leads Kentucky with 13.8 points
per game, and Sara Potts is chip
ping in 11.9 points per contest.
The game is scheduled to tip
off at 2 p.m.
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Carolina struggles yet again
SUSC 56
(7-9,1-5 SEC)
T Tennessee go
(10-6,3-3)
BY MATT ROTHENBERG
THE GAMECOCK
Despite having three scorers
in double digits and limiting it
self to only 11 turnovers, the
Gamecock men’s basketball team
could not pull out a win against
the Tennessee Volunteers
Wednesday. A second-half run by
the Vols put them in front for
good, handing them a 60-56 deci
sion in Knoxville.
Both teams opened up the
game, keeping it close. But
Tennessee (10-6, 3-3 SEC) never
relented the lead that they took
early on. The Volunteers’ back
court got to the Gamecocks in the
first half, as guard Ron Slay
scored 14 of his team-high 16
points before halftime.
Brandon Crump also had sev
en of his 13 points before the
break, as the Vols built up a sev
en-point lead early in the half.
Carolina (7-9,1-5) stormed back
and kept Tennessee guessing,
though, as Slay got himself into
foul trouble. The Volunteers
could not hang on to the basket
ball either, losing possession of
the ball a number of times.
Kerbrell Brown led the surge
for the Gamecocks, acquiring 15
points in the first half to keep USC
in the game. "Brown received the
start in place of Carlos Powell, and
finished the game 6-of-ll from the
field, including a trio of 3-point
ers. Despite seeing 30 minutes off
the bench and leading the team in
rebounds with seven, Powell had
quite an off night, going 2-for-ll
and scoring six points in the loss.
Jarod Gerald also started at
guard for the Gamecocks, picking
up five of USC’s 10 steals on the
night. But with the exception of a
few moments in the second half,
Carolina would have little else to
cheer about.
Down only 30-25 at the break,
USC kept in pace with Tennessee,
and Tony Kitchings and Chuck
Eidson came out firing. The two
scored the Gamecocks’ first 11
points in the second half, giving
Carolina a brief 36-35 lead.
Another Kitchings jumper put
USC ahead again, but Tennessee’s
bench began to come alive.
Stanley Asumnu hit three
straight baskets to steer an 11-0
Volunteer run, but seven unan
swered points for USC closed the
gap again.
Slay and Brown, who both
sparkled for their respective
clubs in the first half, could not
get their offense going after the
intermission; the two scored a
pair of points apiece.
Tennessee managed to hang on
to its lead, despite another
Gamecock rally that put USC be
hind by one. C.J. Watson hit a
pair of free throws, and Asumnu
added another one, to put the
Gamecocks away for good. Eidson
and Kitchings finished with 14
and 12 points, respectively, but
there was little other offense to be
had for USC.
The Gamecocks had a better
night offensively than they did
against Mississippi State last
week, but still disappointed,
shooting only 35.8 percent for the
game. Even worse, there still re
mains no more than one long
range threat, as Brown had three
of USC’s four 3-pointers (Michael
Boynton had the other). All four
occurred in the first half.
With Rolando Howell seeing
only 11 minutes of playing time be
cause of foul trouble, his inside
presence was missed throughout
the game, especially down the
stretch. Without him on the court,
the Gamecocks managed to get
out-rebounded by Tennessee.
Although giving up 21
turnovers, the Volunteers still
performed well, shooting 52.3 per
cent from the field and dishing
out 17 assists.
USC head coach Dave Odom
must figure out a way to squeeze
some offense from his team, as the
seventh-ranked Kentucky
Wildcats (15-3,5-0) come into town
for a Saturday afternoon contest.
The Wildcats boast three play
ers averaging double-digits in
scoring: Keith Bogans, Gerald
Fitch and Marquis Estill. Estill is
one of the SEC’s leaders in field
goal percentage. Erik Daniels and
Chuck Hayes are UK’s leaders in
rebounding.
In their last game, on Jan. 25,
the Wildcats handily defeated
Alabama, then the 13th-ranked
team in the nation.
Tip-off at the Carolina Center
is slated for 1 p.m.
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Softball to open against UNC
North Carolina
at No. 20 USC
1 p.m. Sunday
Beckham Reid
BY MATT R0THENBER6
THE GAMECOCK
With the temperatures outside
beginning to rise, there is defi
nitely a sense that spring is in
deed in the air. As springtime
dawns upon Columbia, there will
also be another new season tak
ing shape.
The 20th-ranked USC softball
team begins its 2003 campaign
Sunday at home against the
North Carolina Tar Heels, and
there is much to look for the gar
net and black to look forward to.
After finishing last year just one
win away from the Women’s
College World Series, the
Gamecocks must defend their
SEC Eastern Division champi
onship and play a challenging
schedule against numerous
ranked teams.
USC head coach Joyce
Compton is looking forward to
the new year of Gamecock soft
ball after months of practices.
“I think we’re excited to play,”
she said. “We just need to see
somebody different. The pitchers
need to pitch against batters other
than ourselves, and we need to
see other pitching.
“Any time you open the season,
there is a lot of excitement. We
need to form the character of this
team and the chemistry of this
team. We'll have a different look.”
First, though, the Tar Heels
await USC. Last season, the
Gamecocks traveled to Chapel
Hill, N.C., only to be swept in a
doubleheader. But North
Carolina, picked to finish third in
the ACC in 2003, returns a good
amount of offense, despite its
young pitching staff.
Two of UNC’s starting out
fielders came back, and both were
among the Tar Heels’ top hitters
in 2002. Tiffany Tolleson and
Quinn Porter aren’t much into
power, but get on base and create
scoring chances for UNC.
Tolleson led the Heels with a bat
ting average over .400, while
Porter led UNC with 45 RBIs.
In order to beat the Heels,
Compton noted that being “con
sistent all the way around,” and
playing “aggressive defense and
getting quality at-bats” will be key.
The Gamecocks could feature
a three-headed pitching attack
this season. With Megan
Matthews, one of USC’s all-time
best pitchers, having graduated,
Stacey Johnson will bear a
greater deal the load for the
Gamecocks. Johnson is looking
to have a breakout season after
being hampered by injuries in
most of2002. Aleca Johnson, who
proved to be a key reliever for
USC, might also receive her share
of starts, while freshman Melanie
Henkes can be a major contribu
tor as well.
Most of the Gamecocks’ posi
tion players return for 2003,
which should be quite an asset
for USC in its efforts to stay a
power in the SEC. USC lost its
best power hitter in Adrianna
Baggetta, but the offense contin
ues to improve. The defense, af
ter picking up 70 errors last sea
son, has improved, and that’s
something that Compton says
could be a key statistic in any
success this year’s squad enjoys.
But who will have a breakout
year is up for grabs, and, accord
ing to Compton, that’s all part of
the anticipation.
“We need to have people step
up, and that’s the exciting part: to
see how the roles are going to fall.
I know we’ve got some kids
who’ve got the ability to do it.
We’ll find out,” she said.
Nevertheless, with trips to
three prominent tournaments on
this year’s slate, along with a chal
lenging SEC schedule, there are
few reasons why the Gamecocks
shouldn’t equal or surpass their
accomplishments in 2002.
The first game of Sunday’s dou
bleheader starts at 1 p.m. at
Beckham Field.
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Selig’s
decisions
getting
stupider
SHAWN ROURK
GAMECOCKSPORTS@HOTMAIL.COM
Rose’s road to return
hits another pothole.
Did I ever mention how much I
despise Bud Selig? Probably not,
since this is just my second col
umn. However, if there ever were
anyone more deserving of the
“Toolbox of the Millennium”
award, it would be him.
For months now, the most im
portant news coming out of the
Major League Baseball commis
sioner’s office has been about the
possible reinstatement of Pete
Rose into baseball and his possi
ble induction into the Hall of.
Fame.
Frankly, the way MLB and
Selig are handling this whole sit
uation is something out of a mid
day soap opera.
Wednesday morning, it was re
pui leu uiai living memuers 01 uie
Hall of Fame were set to meet
with Bud Selig about the possible
reinstatement of Rose sometime
in February. The report came
from current Hall of Famer Bob
Feller, who has steadfastly op
posed Rose’s getting anything
fromMLB.
But wait, the plot of this little
story thickens. Selig’s office de
nies that the meeting was ever
scheduled to happen. ESPN re
ported it was originally postponed
Jan. 17 for an unknown reason,
and rescheduled for a February
date.
So it seems that the more recent
news about Rose’s tax and gam
bling problems are going to set
him back in his quest to get the re
spect he deserves — and, frankly,
it is one of the stupidest decisions
Selig has made.
Rose is the all-time hits leader,
a member of the Cincinnati Reds
during the Big Red Machine who
had more success in baseball than
any minor leaguer could dream of
having.
Rose was initially kicked out
of baseball because he supposedly
bet on and against his team when
he was managing the Reds during
the 1980s. But exactly where is the
hurt in betting on sports? Babe
Ruth was an alcoholic and a wom
anizer, and his plaque is possibly
one of the most visited in the hall.
However, Rose is still held out
of baseball despite enormous fan
approval and cheers anytime he is
invited to a baseball game.
Members of the Hall of Fame, fans,
current players and sports writ
ers all have asked Selig to lift the
ban on Rose.
Lifting it would make Rose eli
gible for the Hall of Fame and al
low him to work for a team again,
which would be a definite shot in
the arm for baseball to have one of
its all-time greats at the helm of a
team.
The point is that the MLB and
other major sporting associations
have the right to fine and suspend
players if they break substance
abuse policies and such. These
policies have numerous chances
to recover and get back on one’s
feet. If you’re caught betting on
baseball, however, you don’t get a
second chance.
I guess the moral is that it’s bet
ter to be a recovering alcoholic or
drug abuser than partake in any
thing many normal people do at
sporting events.
Players should be evaluated
and selected for the Hall of Fame
based on their performance on the
field, not by what happens off the
field.
I’m not degrading the impor
tance of the Hall of Fame, but
there are probably many other
players in the Hall who have done
just as bad as or worse than Rose
has.
Rourk is a first-year print
journalism student.