The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 16, 2004, Page 10, Image 10
1fl THE GAMECOCK ♦ Monday, February 16, 2004 G 9 fTI 6
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL at Mississippi State, 8 p.m. Thursday
; BASEBALL vs. UNC-Wilmington, 3 p.m. Friday
p . . MEN'S BASKETBALL at Arkansas, 3 p.m. Saturday
UOn 19CL. SOFTBALL vs. Middle Tennessee State, 1 p.m. Saturday
Story ideas? Questions? Comments? MEN’S TENNIS vs. Richmond, ll a.m. Saturday
E-mail us at gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TRACK in USC Invitational, Satin-day
' —. .
Tournament
will'showcase
SEC strength
Victimized by the tremendous success and
tradition that SEC schools experience in
football, basketball analysts everywhere
seem to think the conference takes a back
seat to the ACC and Big XII come basketball season.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, from
top to bottom, the SEC is the strongest basketball con
ference in the nation this season.
Of course, Dick Vitale and others will scream “ACC
this” and “ACC that.” Show me where it matters most
— on the court. Just a quick glance in head-to-head
matchups will show the dominance of the SEC this
season. In fact, it is news when someone from the ACC
beats someone from the SEC.
USC is having no problems
with the ACC this year, defeating
the only two ACC teams it has
played this season, N.C. State and
Clemson. Georgia played Clemson
and a Georgia Tech team that has
been rated as high as No. 3.
Georgia’s record against the
ACC? You guessed it: 2-0. For good
measure, Kentucky defeated the
North Carolina Tar Heels as well.
BEN SINCLAIR Florida lost to Maryland by one
Fourth-year print but still defeated Florida State.
journalism student Yes, the same Florida State that
has defeated North Carolina,
Wake Forest and Georgia Tech. Ole Miss was the only
other team that bucked the trend, losing to Florida
State by six.
Another reason the SEC is the strongest basketball
conference this year is the fact that the SEC should
have just as many NCAA Tourney bids as any other
conference when it is all said and done. Kentucky and
Mississippi State would be in, even if they lost every
game from here on out. USC and Florida should be in
since both have been ranked for a good part of this
season. The resume is impressive for Vanderbilt and
LSU as well: Their combined record this season is 32
10. Assuming all the teams mentioned get into the
NCAA Tournament, the SEC would have six teams in
the Big Dance.
While I have only mentioned the top six teams,
Alabama and Ole Miss both have winning records and
could play their way into the tournament. Even the last
' place team in the SEC East, Georgia, had an impressive
win over Georgia Tech and a season sweep of Kentucky.
Just look at the six best teams in other conferences.
In the ACC, if aJeam were in sixth place, it would be
nestled under Florida State and above North Carolina.
Florida State will not even be watching the NCAA
Selection Show. Despite a conference record below
.500, Roy Williams will get the overrated Tar Heels to
the tournament based on name recognition.
In the Big XII, being in sixth place would put a team
ahead of such powerhouses as Iowa State and Colorado.
Sixth place in the Big East would sandwich a team be
tween Seton Hall and a cream-puff West Virginia team.
The point is clear. The next time you hear one of
those big-shot announcers on ESPN talking about the
best basketball conference, take a little pride in know
ing the best-kept secret in America today. Clearly,
from top to bottom, the SEC is the best basketball con
ference this season.
PHOTO BY JOHNNY HAYNES/THE GAMECOCK
First baseman and designated hitter Hank Parks hits the ball In action for USC last season. Parks did not play in the first game, but had two
hits In three at-bats in the second game, scoring one run and five RBIs. He had one hit in three at-bats in the third game.
Carolina makes Bucs walk the plank
BY JONATHAN HILLYARD
THE HAMECOCK
The USC baseball team (3-0) start
ed off its season with an impressive
sweep of Charleston Southern (0-3)
this weekend, winning three games
by scores of 3-2,38-0 and 3-0.
In an odd sequence of games, an ab
solute hitting clinic was wedged be
tween two well-pitched games.
“In baseball you have a big run out
put one day, and a lot of times it’s a
struggle the next day,” USC head
coach Ray Tanner said. “Coach
Murphy’s got four or five pretty good
arms over there, and the difference
was that we were able to pitch as
well.”
USC-3 CSU-2
The first game of the series featured
the aces of both pitching staffs as
USC’s Aaron Rawl battled CSU’s R. J.
Swindle in a clear pitcher’s duel. Rawl
got off to a rough start, allowing CSU’s
Jordan Haar to homer in the very first
at-bat of the young season, giving CSU
a 1-0 lead.
Rawl would settle down, though,
recording eight strikeouts in six in
nings and allowing just one earned
run on three hits.
Offensively, USC was fairly quiet
with the exception of shortstop
Steven Tolleson, who went 3 for 4
with two RBIs, one on a two-run
homer in the fourth inning, and two
stolen bases. Tolleson matched a ca
reer-high with three hits in the
game.
“I was lucky enough to be seeing
the ball well today, and things just
worked out,” Tolleson said.
Reliever Billy Buckner would give
up one run in relief of Rawl, but USC
would hold on to win its season open
er 3-2. Picking up the save in the game
was junior Chad Blackwell with two
strikeouts in the top of the ninth in
ning.
USC-38 CSU-0
After a five hour and 23 minute rain
delay, the second game of the series
was polar opposite from the first and
third contests. The offense was abun
dant for Carolina in the matchup, as
it sent 30 batters to the plate in the first
two innings and would end up win
ning by a score of 38-0. The game set
at least half a dozen school records, in
cluding runs, doubles, hits, RBIs, to
tal bases and margin of victory.
Individually, the stats were also
plentiful for the Gamecocks. Junior
college transfer Brendan Winn hit for
the cycle, and Steve Pearce and Kevin
Melillo both had two-home run games.
Also homering in the game was
Michael Campbell and Hank Parks
with a grand slam.
Junior Jason Fletcher got his first
win for USC, allowing just four hits in
five innings. Completing the shutout
was four other Gamecock pitchers who
pitched for an inning each, recording
8 strikeouts for a game total of 17.
USC-3 CSU-0
The series reverted to its origi
nal form in the final game of the se
ries yesterday, seeing another con
test dominated by pitching. On the
hill for Carolina was junior Zac
McCamie, who pitched a solid sev- '
en innings with 10 strikeouts and
only two allowed hits. McCamie
did not allow a hit after the top of
the third inning.
Wielding the bats for Carolina were
juniors Pearce, who went 3 for 3 with
a solo home run, and Winn, who also
went 3 for 3. USC’s other two runs
came on walks in the eighth inning
with the bases loaded for a final score
of 3-0.
USC will now turn its attention to a
three-game series this weekend with
UNC-Wilmington. First pitch on
Friday is set for 3 p.m. at Sarge Frye
Field.
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gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu
Gamecocks sink Commodores in SEC East contest
BY STEPHEN DEMEDIS
THE GAMECOCK'
Thanks to a stingy defense and another packed-to
capacity crowd, the No. 25 USC men’s basketball team
(20-5,74 SEC) ended a two-game losing skid with an
impressive win over Vanderbilt (15-6,4-6) by a score of
82-75. It was the second time this season the
Gamecocks defeated the Commodores and the sixth
win in seven games against their SEC East foe.
Carolina posted three scorers in double figures, in
cluding senior center Rolando Howell, who delivered
his second consecutive double-double. The Columbia
native led the team with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
* Senior point guard Mike Boynton contributed 15
points of his own, all 3-pointers, despite fouling out
with five minutes remaining in the game. He was also
bothered by a infected spider bite and needed to be
surgically treated. Freshman guard Tre Kelley came
off the bench in place of Boynton and contributed a
career high 16 of his own.
Defensively, Howell held SEC Player of the Year
candidate Matt Freije to 16 points, three points below
his season average. Six of his 16 points came from the
free throw line. In the last meeting between the two
teams, the senior forward scorched the Gamecocks
for 26 points.
Vanderbilt’s offense was further stymied by a vari
ation of presses by the Carolina defense. With 15 min
utes remaining in the second half, the Gamecocks cre
ated turnover after turnover and held Vanderbilt to
four points in a five-minute time span, allowing then
lead to grow as high as 21 points.
Vanderbilt came out hot in the first half and hit a
three to take an early lead. They then shut down the
USC offense and ran their own offense unchallenged.
Vandy jumped to a 5-0 lead. Carolina called a timeout,
and USC head coach Dave Odom gathered his team.
Boynton brought his team back and knocked down
two unanswered threes. Carolina took a one-point lead
and did not relinquish the lead from that point on.
Carolina came out with a new starting lineup,
which included freshman forward Brandon Wallace
in place of the team’s leading scorer, junior forward
Carlos Powell. Forward Tarence Kinsey also returned
to the starting rotation in place of freshmen stand
out, forward Renaldo Balkman.
“I am very pleased about the way our team re
sponded,” Odom said. “We made some changes in the
starting lineup and for good reasons, ones I am not
going to go into tonight.”
Late in the second half, with Boynton drawing his
fifth foul, the senior captain left the floor to a standing
ovation from the crowd but only after gathering his
teammates at the foul line for one last huddle. Boynton
then continued to coach his team from the bench.
The win could not have come at a better time for
Carolina. After dropping consecutive games to
Kentucky and Mississippi State, the win over
Vanderbilt puts the team back on track.
“This past week has been really tough,” Boynton
said. “With our earlier success, the two losses wear
on your mind. We had to stay focused, because with
our week off coming up, we would hate to lose three in
a row. This win put us back in the right direction.”
This weekend’s win and Kentucky and Florida’s
losses put the Gamecocks back into contention for
first place in the SEC East. The Gamecocks’ next game
is on Saturday on the road against Arkansas.
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PHOTO BY MARK SCHILLING/THE GAMECOCK
Guard Tre Keiley scored a high of 16 points.
I_ I
PHOTO BY TRISHA SHADWELL/THE GAMECOCK
Guard Kelly Morrone drives *^ll against Alabama.
Tigers claw women’s basketball in latest SEC loss
BY CHRISTOPHER JONES
THE GAMECOCK
Hopes for an SEC winning streak
and a sweep of the state of Alabama
for the USC women’s basketball team
will have to wait until another time.
The Auburn Tigers (20-5,8-3) ral
lied from a four-point halftime
deficit to win Sunday’s game against
the Gamecocks 69-58 at Beard-Eaves
Memorial Coliseum. USC (10-13,1
9), coming off its first SEC victory of
the season Thursday against
Alabama, was unable to stop the
Tigers’ second-half rally.
The Tigers opened the second half
with a 10-2 run to take a 44-40 lead
six minutes into the second half.
USC responded with a run of its own,
regaining the lef d before a 15-4
Auburn run put the game out of
reach for the Gamecocks.
Guard Kelly Morrone’s strong
performance from behind the arc, 6
of-6 on 3-point shots, was not enough
to overcome 16 Gamecock turnovers
and solid performances by three
Auburn players.
Natasha Brackett led No. 14
Auburn with 20 points on 8-15 shoot
ing. She was aided in her victory by
teammates Le’Coe Willingham with
17 points and Nicole Louden with 11
assists.
“It was a really big game,”
Willingham said. “We knew that
they came off a big win against
Alabama, and they were going to
come in here and play us very ag
gressive and very hard.
Auburn shot 50 percent for the
game and outscored the Gamecocks
in the second half 37-22. The Tigers
outrebounded the Gamecocks 32-28,
and posted more steals, 11-9, and
blocks, 8-5.
Despite being down early, the
Gamecocks rallied back to take a 36
32 halftime lead behind Morrone’s
15 first-half points. However, they
were unable to maintain the mo
mentum gained at the end of the first
half, and Auburn pulled away in the
final minutes.
Guard Cristina Ciocan added 12
points, bringing her to within 20
points of the 1,000-point career mark.
Morrone’s 18 points contributed to
her chase for 1,000 points as well, as
she now sits 58 points from the
plateau.
The loss added another chapter to
the Gamecocks’ struggles in games
played at Auburn, where USC has a
record of 3-9. The Tiger win also adds
to their lead, 15-9, in the overall se
ries between the two SEC schools.
The Gamecocks’ NCAA
Tournament hopes now rest on
stringing together a miraculous run
to the SEC tournament crown and
the automatic bid it carries. The
Tigers, meanwhile, are very close to
clinching an at-large berth in the
tournament and continue to main
tain their position as one of the top
teams in the SEC.
USC’s next game will be Thursday
in Starkville, Miss., against
Mississippi State.
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