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I_i_ A-T ~ ■ ■ BRUCE NEWMAN/THE OXFORD EAGLE USC's Melanie Johnson, right, puts up a shot as Mississippi's Ellen Buchanan defends in Oxford, Miss, on Sunday. ■ WOMEN Continued from page 8 they faced one of the league’s highest scoring teams in the Rebels, who ranked in the top 20 nationally. USC held Ole Miss to just 33.3 percent shooting for the game and managed to record eight blocks, while Ole Miss had none. “The thing that really impresses me about Mississippi is how hard they play,” USC coach Susan Walvius said. “They are a very good team and they create good opportunities for themselves because they are patient in their execution.” USC held a 47-46 advantage with 5:07 left to play in the second period. Free throws and another score put the Rebels up 51-47 before Sliskovic pulled the game back to a one-score ordeal. Johnson also pulled things close with a shot to pull the game within two again at 53-51 with 1:39 left. That was as dose as it got, as Ole Miss iced the game from the free-throw line, and Carolina went cold from the floor. The Rebels hit l4-of-19 free throws, while USC went just 3-of-8 from the stripe. “I am proud of our team. They played hard,” Walvius said. “We weren’t perfect, but we are a young team and we showed flashes of brilliance today.” With the conclusion of the regular season, USC will begin preparing for the SEC Tournament in Greenville this week. The Gamecocks, seeded 12th, will play at the Bi-Lo Center on March 3 at 7 'p.m. when they will take on the fifth seeded team in either Ole Miss or Auburn. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edit ■ SOFTBALL Continued from page 8 its own backyard. Hughes had the lone great strike of the game, hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Hughes drove in senior Meghan Cornett, who was on second base. Unfortunately for Georgia Tech senior pitcher Jessica Sallinger, she was unable to tally a victory onto her season record (8 2), after striking out 12 batters in the first nine innings and allowing no hits. Coming into the tournament, the Yellow Jackets were 13-0 but were swept on the first day by Southern Illinois and No. 8 Michigan before facing USC. The Gamecocks are now 11-7 on the season, now with a marquee win over Georgia Tech on their resume’. USC will return to Georgia, heading to Atlanta on Friday for the Buzz Classic. The Gamecocks will face Boston and Gardner Webb on Friday, followed by South Dakota State and Ohio State on Saturday. The final game Sunday remains to be announced. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu KATIE KIRKLAND/ THE GAMECOCK USC’s softball team won three of its four games in the Leadoff Classic on Thursday, Friday and 1 Saturday. ■ NIAGARA Continued from page 8 Carolina jumped to a 3-0 lead. Niagara senior Reed Easdey hit a two-run homer in the top of the sixth to close the gap, but Carolina proceeded to score in every succeeding inning to clinch the win. Sophomore outfielder Jon Willard contributed three RBIs in the effort, as juniot Brent Marsh and senior Cliff Donald held the Purple Eagles to three hits and one run over the final three innings. With an 8-3 victory under their collective belt, the Gamecocks came out Saturday and punished Niagara pitcher sophomore Daniel Griffin in a 19-1 rout. After what started as a sure pitchers’ duel between Griffin and Carolina senior Zac McCamie, the Carolina bats came out swinging in the fourth inning, and they all connected. With only one out, 11 straight batters reached base, with 10 of them scoring runs. After the first run crossed, thanks to a walk with the bases loaded, Pearce stepped to the plate and hit his first grand slam of the year. Next at bat, Willard also hit one long, forcing Niagara to call junior lefty Mike Radanovich to the mound. The change was to no avail, as the Gamecocks hit four consecutive runs before Niagara sophomore pitcher Ryan Virtue retired the batters and the inning. The game was over from there, as Carolina scored 10 runs on eight hits and led 12-0. The only thing that saved the Purple Eagles from a shutout was a fifth-inning home run from sophomore outfielder Brian Clifford. “I was glad to see us finally break through in the fourth,” Tanner said. “We were hoping to run his pitch count up and score a few runs, because he was tough.” The remainder of the game belonged to Pearce and senior outfielder Brendan Winn, who also hit two home runs and batted in five runs. Pearce ended the day 5-for-5 with five RBIs, and Winn went 3-for-6. With another series clinched, the Gamecocks found themselves in an unfamiliar position Sunday, down 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh. Willard’s home run evened the game in the seventh before Pearce stepped to the plate with three on base and one out in the eighth. For the second consecutive game, he hit a grand slam that propelled Carolina to a 6-2 win and a series sweep. “Seeing everybody hit the way they’ve been the last couple of weeks, I was just anxious to get up there and get my hacks in,” Pearce said. The winning pitcher was senior Jason Fletcher, making his first appearance of the season. Fletcher showed in four innings the same intensity he showed in his last appearance for the Gamecocks, a win over Cal-State Fullerton to force an elimination game in last season’s College World Series. “Fletcher brings the veteran’s (approach) to you,” Tanner said. “He brings the experience. He’s used to getting wins in the middle of the game. He competed hard for us” USC winds up a 10-game home stand with its first night game of the season against Wofford. The Wednesday night showdown has been changed from a 7 p.m. start time to 6 p.m. The Gamecocks then travel to Minneapolis this weekend for the Dairy Queen Classic. Comments on this story? E-mail ramecocksports@gwm.se. edu ■ HILLYARD Continued from page 8 appearances. But let’s assume that the season goes as it did up until Sunday. With a 17-point lead, with about 16 minutes to play against a very formidable Florida team, the NCAA committee had to be saying, “Hey, look at these guys.” The Gamecocks would have to finish strong of course, with wins at Vandy and at home against Ole Miss. However, the lead was just not enough. Senior guard Josh Gonner said the loss was the toughest of his USC career. Senior forward Carlos Powell shared his sentiments. So we come to USC’s current situation. The best the Gamecocks can finish in the conference is .500 at 8-8. The most wins Carolina can finish with overall is six, not nearly enough for an at-large bid. So what are the team’s options? The Gamecocks can continue to push the best teams in the SEC Tournament, bow out in a close loss to a NCAA Tournament bound team and punch their ticket for the NIT. That would see the team probably coming home to the Colonial Center for a game or two and possibly making a run at the NIT Championship in New York. But there is one thing most people are beginning to forget. The winner of the SEC Tournament is guaranteed a bid to the NCAA Tournament. This USC team has beaten the best the SEC has to offer, and when the Gamecocks don’t play well, it is usually on the road against a good home team. The Georgia Dome is anything but a hostile environment. Should Carolina win its last two games, a three seed in the East would match the Gamecocks up against Auburn. Assuming Carolina didn’t lose to the worst team in the West, a matchup with LSU or Alabama would ensue. Alabama and LSU are hardly Kentucky or Kansas, so a win there is not unthinkable. All of a sudden, USC is matched up with the same Kentucky Wildcats that they have proven they can beat anywhere. All right, I know I’m getting ahead of myself, but say USC does the unthinkable and repeats its upset. Now they are in the finals against most likely either LSU, Alabama or, guess who, your favorite reptiles, the Florida Gators. A rematch of Sunday’s epic basketball game would be all that stood in front of the Gamecocks and an AUTOMATIC bid to the NCAA Tournament. Whew, so there it is. The explanation that will save Carolina’s season. Sit back, relax and enjoy the show. It should be fun. It's time for I On Campus Housing Sign Up! On-Campus Sign Up is March 1st-16th on VIP! j And don't forget... j Sign Up Carnival March 16th Greene Street j • • ... 2*%OFF : & : i > . (while supplies last) I ! With All Purchases*1 I I (Carolina Clothing & Gifts Only) * | ; i_! I *Must present coupon for discount and coozie. 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