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Manning, Colts flatten Chiefs BY BARRY WILNER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS KANSAS CITY, MO. - Peyton Manning is headed to his first championship game with visions of wide-open receivers and unde fended real estate in his head. Making Kansas City’s defense look like a sieve, Manning led the Indianapolis Colts past the Chiefs 38-31 Sunday for a spot in the AFC title game. The NFL co-MVP knows he can expect a much big ger challenge from the New England Patriots next weekend than the Chiefs presented. Manning was 22-for-30 for 304 yards and three touchdowns in a masterful performance that quickly quieted the normally raucous Arrowhead Stadium crowd. He took the Colts (14-4) to scores on six of their first seven drives - and right on to Foxboro. Punter Hunter Smith, who did not kick in a 41-10 opening-round playoff win over Denver, again was not needed. Manning, Edgerrin James (24 rushes for 125 yards) and Reggie Wa^n’e (six catches, 83 yards) made sure of that. Not that Indianapolis’ defense was much more efficient. All-Pro Priest Holmes, who set an NFL record with 27 touchdowns this season (all on the ground), dived in from the 1 for two scores. Dante Hall, also an NFL record setter this season, had a TD on a 92-yard kickoff runback. In all, the Colts gained 434 yards and the Chiefs’ 408 in a shootout nearly everyone ex pected. The difference was that Manning converted every big -play. As an MVP should. He hit Brandon Stokley on a 19-yard pass to open the scoring, and also connected with Tom Lopienski for 2 yards and Wayne for 19. Manning is 44-for-56 in the postseason for 681 yards and eight touchdowns. James had scoring runs of 1 and 11 yards and Mike Vanderjagt hit his 40th straight field goal this season, from 45 yards. Hiliyard CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 the deepest in the SEC. USC has eight players who are averaging over 15 minutes a game and will have nine when Rolando Howell is 100 percent. Depth will be the calling card of this team as con ference play unfolds, and its ability to outlast teams may prove to win more than a few games. In addition to the team’s depth, the defensive play of the Gamecocks is another obvious improvement. USC leads the SEC in scoring defense, allow ing just over 53 points per game. The team’s depth plays the biggest, role in this defensive success because there are nev er tired legs on the floor, allow ing Odom to employ a much more aggressive defense. This defense was at full force Saturday night against the Georgia Bulldogs, who committed 10 turnovers and shot just 36 percent in the first half. For the season, USC leads the SEC in turnover margin and blocks, and ranks second in the SEC in steals. If that isn’t the sign of a solid defen sive team, then I don’t know what is. “Defense wins champi onships” like we’ve all heard, right? Well, that is unless you have the worst shooting team in the conference. This aspect might be the Achilles’ heel for the Gamecocks. For example, in Wednesday’s loss to Florida, USC shot just 17.2 percent from three-point range. In Saturday’s 21-point win over Georgia, USC shot 36.4 percent from beyond the arc. Coincidence? I think not. Where does the difference lie in a 12-16 team that won one road game and a 14-2 team that won its first conference road game by 21 points? The answer is youth, depth and defense. However, last year’s team is a distant memory. The question this year will be which USC team will show up? Will it be the team that shoots so poorly that a spon sorship by Boral Bricks is jus tified? Or could it be the team that lights up the nets and sends an arena full of rabid dogs, literally, home early? We’ll have to wait and see, and so will the NCAA. Women’s CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 USC was unable to stop Minnesota guard Lindsay Whalen, who scored 24 points while getting her 500th career assist and 2000th career point. Whalen is only the fifth NCAA Division I women’s basketball player to get 2000 points and 500 assists. Forward Iva Sliskovic was the star for USC in the game, hitting 7-of-ll shots for 15 points. She also had five rebounds but con tributed 10 turnovers. The game was the first ever nationally tele vised game for the USC women’s basketball program. USC 46, Seton Hall 57 Carolina kept the game close at the half, but Seton Hall pulled away in the second half to win on Dec. 30. Guard Sarah Burgess came off the bench to lead the Gamecocks in scoring, netting 16 points. Sliskovic also had a good per formance, scoring nine points and getting into the mix on de fense by picking up six defensive rebounds, four blocks and one steal. “In our first few games, we av eraged almost 99 points per game, and now we’re struggling to put the ball in the hole,” USC head coach Susan Walvius said. “We’re struggling with our re bounding. We’re a young team and the issues are correctable.” No. 15 UNC 77, USC 53 The Gamecocks’ second four game road swing of the year began on Dec. 20 at Myrtle Beach against UNC, starting on a bad note by dropping the game to the Tar Heels by 24 points. UNC outshot the Gamecocks, hitting 51 percent from the field compared to USC’s 31 percent mark. Also, the Heels hit 18-of-22 from the free throw line, while USC only hit 2-of-12. The Gamecocks couldn’t get it done from the 3 point line, either, hitting only 7 of-31. USC ended the game taking only eight more 2-point shots than 3-point shots. UL-Lafayette 59, USC 72 The 3-point shot was falling in Carolina’s only home game of the winter break, as guard Kelly Morrone hit five 3-pointers to lead the team with 15 points in the game on Dec. 18 against the Ragin’ Cajuns. Cristina Ciocan and forward Larissa Kulscar also contributed 13 points each to the win. The Gamecocks were 7-of-ll from the 3-point line in the first half, with the long-range ball con tributing 21 of their 32 first half points. “This was not our best game,” Walvius said. “I do not think we were aggressive enough offen sively. However, we are excited to get the win.” use 84, Charlotte 67 Ciocan was the difference for Carolina against Charlotte on Dec. 14, scoring a career-high 33 points. The win ended the 49ers’ win streak at home where Charlotte had won 20 consecutive games. “Our defense improved in the second half and we got into a com fortable tempo, an up-tempo,” Walvius said. “At halftime, we talked about attacking the rim and pressing more. Our defensive pressure was the difference in the second half.” USC 69, New Mexico 52 The Gamecocks claimed the Southwest Airlines Lobo Shootout Championship on Dec. 6 with a win against host New Mexico. Burgess came off the bench for an impressive performance, shoot ing 7-of-13 from the field to lead the team in points with 19 and grab bing seven rebounds. “This was a big win here in this very hostile environment and a win that will build confi dence for our young team,” Walvius said. “Cristina Ciocan did a great job of directing traf I_a*. - \_ PHTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK Crlstin£locan scored a career-lgh 33 points In a Dec. 14lefeat of Charlotte. fie from te point guard spot. She played lie an All-American to day.” Southen Utah 79, USC 81 SliskoTc hit the game-win ning shot ith two seconds left to give Carona a win in the first round of te Lobo Shootout on Dec. 5. Thforward also led the* Gamecocl in scoring and re bounding, Dtching 18 points and 12 rebound Ciocan so got a double-dou ble, scorir 15 points and con tributing lassists, making the game the fth consecutive dou ble-double r Ciocan on the sea son. “Our fnhmen really came through to:ght for us when we needed thn,” Walvius said. “Lauren Sims did a great job in stepping upnd hitting the three pointer to ge us the lead at the end of tl game, and Iva Sliskovic pivided the winning basket and2 rebounds during the game.” Comments oihis story? E-mail gamecockspis@gwm.sc.edu ^ www.dailygamecock.com i ■ " 11 ■ i——' —i Columbia's Adult Soccer League is now registering teams or individuals for the Spring '04 season. Registration deadline is February 3rd. Call 781-6468 or email columbiasocoer@aol.com. 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