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I * I \ I 1 f I 1 Pi GAME SCHEDULE 1 I J ' I ' WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY NCAA Championships p g I I ■ I \ ■ . at Indiana State, TBA , , „„_, I 1 f I I ILl MEN’S SOCCER NCAA Second Round, TBA Monday, November 22,2004 ■ V J U 1^ i TK-S MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Winthrop, 7:30 p.m. CHARLIE DAVENPORT Sophomore guard Tre Kelley dunks in Sunday’s victory over Western Carolina. The dunk was Kelley’s first as a Gamecock. Kelley lends hustle, heart /-» i » ■ oopnomore guara proves mettle with slam-dunk statement ^ By MIQUELJACOBS THE GAMECOCK In his first game as the leader of the men’s basketball team, Tre Kelley simultaneously put on a show and demonstrated why the coaching staff is confident in him. In addition to displaying the decision-making needed to succeed in the SEC, Kelley also did something that fans never expected to see — a dunk. Head coach Dave Odom’s Carolina teams have been known for two things — heart and defense. The Catamounts committed a season-high 25 turnovers, leading to 30 Carolina points. Of those turnovers, 15 came from USC steals, | tied for fourth most in school " history. In a defensive set mirroring last season, the Gamecocks began with a full-court pressure that was seemingly ineffective, causing Odom to change styles and break the game open. “The biggest thing we talked about at the half was keeping the pressure on,” Odom said. “Ironically the game changed when we took the full court pressure off and went to the half court.” “The full court pressure didn’t look like it was working, but it was wearing them down,” Kelley added. “Once we went to the half-court defense and put the pressure on, we were able to get some steals and get something going on offense.” The most exciting and unexpected turnover came when Kelley stole the ball at mid-court, took his time to the \ basket and elevated his 6-foot frame just high enough to slam it down to give Carolina a 69-51 lead. The collective roar from the crowd would have been enough for anyone to figure out that this was an uncommon sight, but’ the reaction from his teammates and Kelley himself spoke volumes. “That definitely was my first career dunk,” Kelley said.- “I don’t think the crowd knew that I could do that. Being in front of the home crowd, it gets you pumped up.” Taking the reigns from Mike Boynton, Kelley hopes his hustle and play do not go unnoticed throughout the season. Odom called him a “freshman starter” in that he ha's never been given leadership over the team before, but Kelley said he felt he would live up to the expectations. “I’m very comfortable. I played a lot of games last year and played a lot in those games,” Kelley said. “I don’t think it’s really a struggle; it’s really just running the basketball team. I think I can d<? it.” He also wasn’t slow to admit that there is always room for practice. Even though he tied his career high with two steals, he lists defense as the one aspect of his game that could be even better. “Locking up guys that’s bringing the ball up and getting them to disrupt their own offense,” Kelley said. “I think I already (established I could lead). My teammates know that I’m the guy that runs the team offensively and defensively.” For now, Carolina fans will be anxiously awaiting more spectacular offensive and defensive plays by the point guard. While he’s not normally the guy who spreads his wings, Kelley still does not want anyone to rule him out when it comes to high-flying action. When asked if we should see more highlights in the future, Kelley could only smile and say two hopeful words: “Probably so.” Comments on this stoiy? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu START ME UP HaKuillNUH f \ _ KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK Senior forward Carlos Powell pumps up the Colonial Center crowd Sunday in the Gamecocks’ home opener. USC won the game by a final score of 87-61 and was led by Powell, who scored 16 points in his first'game as a USC senior. uj ni_i_A i\i l_i_ i THE GAMECOCK After a first half marred by turnovers, break downs and missed opportunities, USC rallied against Western Carolina to claim its first victory of the season 87 61. Tarence Kinsey put the Gamecocks on the board first with a jump shot on the teams’ first possession. After that shot, the Catamounts held their ground and went score for score with USC, and actually took the lead early in the first period on a three pointer with 15:08 left. Both teams continued poor shooting and sloppy play for the first half, which was closed out by a Carlos Powell feed to Rocky Trice off a steal, giving the Gamecocks a measly 37-33 lead at the break. western Carolina manageu 10 ue tne game nine times in the first period and had the half s largest lead of seven. The second half was a completely different story. The closest the Catamounts could pull within was three early in the second period of play. From there USC took control and put the game away. The Gamecocks forced numerous turnovers in the second half that lead to fast break opportunities. The biggest break away came with Carolina up 67 51 and looking to seal the deal, Tre Kelley grabbed an arrent Western Carolina pass and went into total lift off for the first dunk of his career. ■ The rest was academic as everybody got in on the action. Dwayne Day came in to nail a three pointer, but only after big man Brandon Wallace stepped out on the top to can a three of his own. raunus jonenunas s raae away snot gave USC the 25 point advantage with: 54 seconds left, but Jon Land’s three point shot with seven ticks left on the clock brought the crowd into an uproar as USC handed Western Carolina their fifth straight loss. “I felt like we worked extremely hard in the first half, but we didn’t get anything out of it,” USC head coach Dave Odom said. The Catamounts’ game against USC was their fifth game in eight days against opponents like Penn State, Alabama, and Marquette. “I felt like if we put pressure on them they would wear down,” Odom said. “We just try to wear you down,” senior Carlos Powell said. Rebounding was a big issue for the Gamecocks managed just 19 in the first half and only 10 came on the defensive ena or me court. “Obviously the big concern for us is rebounding,” Odom said. “When you go to the locker room at the half and neither of your post guys have a defensive rebound, you’ve got a problem.” “We’ve got to rebound more, crash the boards,” Powell stated after the win. “We’re a team in progress. We’ll be alright.” With the absence of Antoine Tisby due to personal issues, the Gamecocks will be short handed on the boards and will have to find a way to compensate for that lack of presence. “We’re still kind of finding our identity,” sophomore Brandon Wallace added. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockspojts@girm.sc. edu Soccer bows early in tourney ■ Gamecocks cant defend home turf against Cougars By MATTHEW NAGY THE GAMECOCK An underpowered USC men’s soccer j team fell short against the College of Charleston Cougars 3-2 on Friday night after battling tough all game long. Carolina had plenty of chances early but dould not get past the Cougars’ stellar goalkeeper Keith Wiggins. Only 18 minutes into the game, junior Ryan Deter was making a run to the left side of the box when Wiggins came up and challenged the forward 5 yards from the backline. Deter was unable to get the ball past the extended Wiggins, who recorded 10 saves on the night. Deter again had an opening later in the first period but could not capitalize, missing wide right. ^Carolina was still reeling from the loss of forward Sebastian Lindholm. The freshman from Sweden blew out his ACL in practice Wednesday and was lost for the season. Lindholm was the team’s leading scorer, and the loss hurt even more on a night when offense was desperately needed. The Cougars were able to strike first when Darren Toby headed the ball into the back of the net off a Troy Lesesne free kick. It was the only goal scored in the first half, but play opened up into a fast-paced attacking game in the second half. Just two minutes into the second half, Toby again had a chance on a breakaway to put Charleston up 2-0. The ground ball just missed the left side of the net and sailed out of bounds. Eight minutes later, Carolina had its two best chances of the night but was denied again by Wiggins. “How their goalkeeper saves those balls, I don’t know. Those were unbelievable saves,” USC head coach Mark Berson said. “They were as good a saves as % have ever seen in a college soccer game. That’s the difference in the game right there.” USC captain Eric Szeszycki took a thundering shot from 25 yards away that Wiggins was able to get a foot on. Unable to control the rebound, the ball sailed right back to Szeszycki and he again fired a rocket toward the net. Almost out of thin air, Wiggins was able to get enough of his hand on the ball while lying on the ground to stop it from getting into the back of the goal. Minutes later, the Cougars were again running on a counterattack when forward Jeremy Gold was faced in a one on-one breakaway with USC defender Daniel Upchurch. The freshman defender lost his footing and fell, leaving Gold alone to face goalie Brad Guzan. It was an easy goal for Gold, and suddenly the Gamecocks were down two and looking for an offensive spark. “We don’t let the score go to our heads. There are plenty of times this season when we have gone to two goals down and sifcl come back,” Szeszycki said. The Gamecocks did their best to fight back but came up short in the end. Ayo Akinsete was able to bring the score to 2-1 with 17 minutes left in the game, and the spark was briefly back until the sophomore striker from Tobago put the nail in the coffin for Charleston. Toby ran the ball down the right side of the box and served a quick pass to Gold, who gave the ball right back to Toby. The ball was nailed from 12 yards out on the right side and beat Guzan to the left corner of the net. The goal was the second of the game for Toby. Another glimmer of hope came for the Gamecocks as Ryan Deter was able to get a goal with 10 minutes left to play. But it was too little, too late for Carolina, who had the pressure on the Cougars for the remainder of the game. With just one minute to play, USC saw its last chance fade away after a corner ♦ Please see SOCCEt}, page 10 KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK Sophomore striker Ayo Akinsete was one of the Gamecock’s main scoring threats this seasor^but could not propel USC to a win. t