The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 14, 2005, Page 10, Image 10
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.
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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.
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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
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