University of South Carolina Libraries
CHARLIE DAVENPORT/THE GAMECOCK USC sophomore forward Brandon Wallace dunks in the first half of Saturday’s 74-71 loss to Auburn. Wallace had eight points. ■ MEN Continued from page 9 olina an opportunity after forcing a turnover followed by a Gonner layup to close the gap to 66-68 with 32 seconds remaining. Free throws proved to be enough for Auburn to stay ahead though, as the Tigers converted 5-of-7 in the final 60 seconds of the game. Much like the Vanderbilt game, I—|-H——— . • \■■-i-| Auburn's small lineup stuck to shooting as a way to claim its third conference victory of the year. The Tigers made ll-of-21 3-pointers in the game and shot 48 percent from the floor overall. Freshman Toney Douglas led Auburn with 22 points, followed by Ian Young and Quinnel Brown, who had 20 and 19, respectively. “I'm awfully proud of my team," Lebo said. “Tonight we played awfully well, especially offensively. We shot the ball at a high percentage from the three. Offensively, we traditionally like to play fast and shoot the ball from the perimeter. We re all right when it goes in the basket." The Gamecocks held a few roster advantages, especially depth, they did not capitalized on. Auburn had three players play the entire game and another play 38 minutes. While Carolina went nine-deep on its roster, the Tigers only played seven players. Despite the height advantage that Carolina would have held, Odom decided to go with a smaller lineup, which did not work in the Gamecocks' favor. Gonner had a breakout game for the Gamecocks, leading all scorers with 22 points. He shot 8-of-l4 from the floor, including four from beyond the arc. Brandon Wallace and Carlos Powell both contributed, as Wallace posted eight points and 10 boards, a season high. Powell recorded his fourth double-double of the year with 14 points and 10 boards. Trice also scored 10 points, one shy of his career high. With the loss, the Gamecocks sit on a 13-8 overall record and 5-5 SEC mark. With games remaining against ranked Kentucky and Alabama as well as a Florida team that is starting to get hot, Carolina needed this victory to help its chances of a second consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. However, Odom does not believe that losing to Auburn sealed his team's fate. “It was a difficult loss," Odom said. “Where that leads, I don't know. But I will tell you this — a situation like this shows the true character of a team. For me to call it a bad loss says that Auburn is not a very good team. I wouldn’t make that point because Auburn is a good team." Good team or not, the Gamecocks need more than a few victories over their final six games and a strong showing in the SEC Tournament to become a bubble-busting team. The first chance presents itself Tuesday night on a national stage in front of the Kentucky Wildcats. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK Auburn guard Ian Young, right, and teammate, guard Toney Douglas, torched the Gamecocks for a combined 42 points Saturday. The tandem of guards is among the SEC’s top 10 in scoring. ■ SIZE Continued from page 9 play to your size or try to adjust size-wise. I thought we had the ability to do that but we obviously did not." USC had the edge in nearly every statistical category. The Gamecocks dominated points in the paint, scoring 42 to just 22 for Auburn. Odom's team also had more points off turnovers, second chance points, and fast break points but went just 4-of-16 on 3-point attempts. Despite the size advantage, Odom went with a smaller lineup much of the game. Six-foot- 10-inch John Chappell played just nine minutes, finishing with four points. Antoine Tisby, USC's only other true post presence, did not play at all. “You got small players being guarded by big players," Odom said. “I thought (Chappell) really did pretty well for the most part, but it was a hard game for him, and I thought it would have been hard for (Tisby)." The majority of Auburn's open looks came as a result of a lack of rotation following the Gamecocks' trap attempts. USC defenders continually double teamed Auburn ball handlers, who consistently found open 3-point shooters. Tiger guards Ian Young and Toney Douglas did the most damage, combining to hit 8-of-14 from behind the arc. USC guard Rocky Trice had one of his best games of the season but said . the defense had no answer for Auburn. “We didn't have good rotation," Trice said. “Some guys rotated, and some guys rotated to the wrong spot. Unfortunately, they were open and they were knocking them down." Auburn's constant movement on offense seemed to have the Gamecocks confused at times. The Tigers used a variety of screens and backdoor cuts to free up shooters. Sufficiently undermanned because of the loss of Frank Tolbert, Auburn was able to execute its motion offense with limited substitutions. Odom said there was no way fatigue should have been a factor with his squad. “We substituted more than they did," Odom said. “They have three players who played 40 minutes and one that played 38. Now who should be the tireder?" Auburn head coach and former USC assistant Jeff Lebo said the fact that his team is undersized works to its advantage by way of creating matchup problems. “Auburn High School is way bigger than we are (size-wise)," Lebo said. “But we are odd to have to defend." Comments on this story? E-mail ga?necockspoits@gwm. sc. edu BRIEFS Papa-Sol to appear at Gamecock rally The Columbia Regional Sports Council will play host to a Gamecock Rally at 6 p.m. Tuesday night before USC’s matchup against Kentucky. The rally will be held at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center at 1101 Lincoln St. in the Congaree Vista. The event will be headlined by Papa-Sol, a band featuring lively floor shows and danceable pop and soul. The USC cheerleaders, pep band, Cocky and the Coquettes will provide entertainment starting at 7 p.m. Papa Sol will take the stage again at 7:30 p.m. and play for another hour. Food and beverages will be available for purchase, and several exhibitors will be on hand. A silent auction will also be held for two pairs of clubhouse badges to the 2005 MCI Heritage Golf Tournament in April on Hilton Head Island. Tip-off for Tuesday night's game is 9 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN. Malone makes retirement public at news conference By DOUG ALDEN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SALT LAKE CITY — As much as Karl Malone wanted to win an NBA title, he just didn't have the desire to play a 20th season. Malone officially announced his retirement Sunday, ending his career where it started when the Utah Jazz selected him with the 13th pick in the 1985 draft. “Even though I left for a year, I grew here as a Jazz man," Malone said at a news conference at the Delta Center. “If I'm fortunate enough to go into the Hall of Fame, 1 will go as a Jazz man." The 41-year-old finishes second on the NBA's career scoring list with 36,928 points, just 1,459 behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Malone met with the San Antonio Spurs last week and was considering a return, hoping for one more chance at a championship ring, but he decided that mentally he couldn't play at the level that made him one of the best ever in the league. Malone had knee surgery last summer and said he was fully recovered from the injury that forced him to miss half of last season. But his mind wasn't up to returning to basketball. “When I got on that plane, I knew I was done. That it was time," Malone said. “I look at basketball as 100 percent physically and 100 percent mentally. And if I can't bring you 200 percent, from me, I can’t bring you anything." Malone was the league's MVP in 1997 and '99. One of the most durable players ever, Malone is also second only to Abdul-Jabbar's 57,446 minutes played with 54,852. Malone's 14,968 rebounds rank him sixth all-time and he also was a 14-time All-Star selection, winning the game MVP in 1989 and sharing it with longtime teammate John Stockton in 1993. “I had great players in Karl Malone DOUGLAS C. PI ZAC/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Former Utah Jazz power forward Karl Malone announces his retirement as his wife, Kay, listens Sunday in Salt Lake City. and John Stockton, so I was very lucky," Sloan said. "I said all along when.I had them. You don’t find this every day. And you know what? There was a great deal of jealousy that people had of those guys because of that." Malone also won gold medals with the U.S. Olympic teams of 1992 and 1996. About the only thing missing in his career is an tide ring, which he missed out on in three trips to the NBA Finals. Malone and Stockton led the Jazz to the 1997 and '98 Finals, losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls each time. He signed with the Los Angeles Lakers before last season and made it to the Finals again, losing this time to the Detroit Pistons. So Malone, whose nickname was the Mailman, ends his career without a ring and without a chance to catch Abdul Jabbar, which he said was never really a goal. “I wanted a championship. I'm not going to lie to you. That was my ultimate goal, but that was a team goal. That wasn't an individual goal," he said. “1 will say that the two years we made it to the Finals with the Jazz, that was the funnest years I had playing ball." Malone said he chose Sunday to honor his mother, Shirley Jackson Malone, who died in August 2003. He said she would have turned 67 on Sunday. Malone teamed with Stockton for 18 seasons with Utah, forming one of the NBAs greatest duos. Malone said Stockton, who retired in 2003 as the NBA s career leader in assists and steals, was one of the first people he called last week to say he was finished. Malone was close to retiring last summer, but decided to wait until he was fully recovered from the knee surgery before making up his mind. And he said Sunday that there would be no changing it. “When I said I retired from basketball playing, 1 have retired. You will not see me play again. That is a promise," he said. “There will be no unbelievable . comebacks. Seen If you have any questions or comments about the Sports section, please e-mail Sports editor Jonathan Hillyard at gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu. 1 Experience the World Without Leaving Home! Carolina’s Global Community Invites You to an OPEN HOUS Wednesday, February 6-9pm South Quad Lounge ♦ Learn about the community ♦ Enjoy some refreshments ♦ Take a tour ♦ Talk to residents ♦ Pick up an application 1 * i