The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 02, 2005, Page 12, Image 12
GAME SCHEDULE
pa__ 1•> BASEBALL vs. Wofford, 6 p.m. Wednesday
„ MEN’S BASKETBALL at Vanderbilt, 8 p.m. Wednesday
Wednesday, March 2, 2005 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL at SEC Tournament, Thursday-Sunday
Vanderbilt awaits
struggling Carolina
By MATTHEW NAGY
THE GAMECOCK
Seeking their sixth straight win
in Nashville, the Gamecocks will
travel to Vanderbilt for a
Wednesday night clash with the
Commodores.
Carolina is also looking to snap
out of its recent funk, losing three
straight contests after a landmark
win against Kentucky. The
Commodores 17-11 (7-7 SEC)
have taken over third place in the
SEC East because of the recent
struggles of the USC men’s
basketball team, who now stands at
14-11 (6-8 SEC) on the season.
The Commodores, however,
appear a welcome sight on the
Gamecocks’ horizon at a point
where coach Dave Odom’s squad
needs one more win to become
eligible for NIT play.
The Gamecocks have won the
past eight meetings in the series,
including five straight on the road.
Vanderbilt is the only SEC team
that has not defeated Odom since
he began coaching at USC in the
2001-02 season. Carolina has won
14 of the last 17 contests against
the Commodores, and Vanderbilt
head coach Kevin Stallings is only
2-8 against the Gamecocks.
Earlier this season, USC
successfully rallied from an 11
point deficit in the second half to
send Vanderbilt home with a loss.
Paramount to the Gamecocks’
success in the game was
sophomore forward Renaldo
Balkman, who had 15 points and 9
rebounds in the contest.
It was not the first time that
Balkman had been the center of
attention against Vanderbilt. Last
season, in Nashville, he was
involved in an on-the-court
incident with Commodore senior
forward Corey Smith. Smith
attacked Balkman after what he
perceived to be dirty play by the
Gamecock forward in the first half.
Both players were ejected and
subsequently suspended for one
SEC contest each as a result of the
altercation.
But the Gamecocks were able to
win the game in the final 30
seconds, as Kebrell Brown tipped
in a Josh Gonner miss to give the
Gamecocks a two-point victory.
The controversy between USC and
Vanderbilt did not end there; as
Stallings suggested, there would be
retribution in the second contest of
the season because of the perceived
dirty play by Balkman.
While Stallings later apologized,
his team was unable to top the
Gamecocks in the second contest,
as a rain of USC three-pointers
and a hail of boos directed at
Smith led Carolina to an 82-75
victory to complete the sweep.
While tempers between the two
teams have cooled, the Gamecocks
can expect an extremely hostile
Memorial Gym for the Wednesday
evening match up. In order for
Carolina to escape the city with yet
another victory, it will rely on
senior forward Carlos Powell, fresh
off his fifth double-double of the
season, on Sunday. In what may
have been his final home game in
front of a full student section at the
Colonial Center, Powell had 18
points and 13 rebounds while
continuing his strong senior
campaign. Powell is in the top ten
in three categories in the SEC.
Powell is eighth in scoring (15
points per game), ninth in
rebounds per game (6.6 per game)
and seventh in defensive rebounds
per game (4.64).
Along with Powell, the
Gamecocks can look to the
reinvigorated junior center
Antoine Tisby, who has seemed
inspired since his coming out party
against Kentucky Feb 15. Since the
victory over the Wildcats, Tisby
has averaged 12 ppints per game,
along with 6 rebounds and 2.25
blocks per game. He had career
highs in points (18) and rebounds
(8) in a losing effort against
Tennessee. Tisby also recorded a
team season-high of four blocks
against Alabama.
With the increased post play
lately, Carolina has seen its guards
fall into a slump. Sophomore
guard Tre’ Kelley looks to have
snapped out of that funk with 17
points against the Gators on
Sunday. Kelley is the team’s
second leading scorer, is tenth in
the SEC in assists per game and
has also provided steady
leadership at the point guard
position.
He will need to stay hot from
the outside again on Wednesday in
order to create space in the paint
for Powell, Tisby and Balkman.
Carolina must pair the
emergence of Tisby with solid
guard play by Kelley and junior
Tarence Kinsey to continue its
traditional dominance over the
Commodores on Wednesday
night. Tip-off is 8 p.m., and there
is no live TV coverage.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu
KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK
Junior forward Antoine Tisby dunks on top of Florida senior forward David Lee. Tisby has emerged as
an inside presence lately, scoring a career-high 18 points in Carolina’s recent loss to Tennessee.
KYLE PARKER/THE GAMECOCK
Sophomore guard Stacy Booker takes a jump shot in USC’s win
against Alabama. Booker will continue starting at guard Thursday.
Women s hoops to
play short-handed
By MIQUEL JACOBS
STAFF WRITER
The USC women’s basketball
team has struggled throughout the
conference season, finally picking
up steam and winning two of its
last three games.
After suffering a nine game
losing streak, coach Susan Walvius
takes her team upstate to
Greenville for the SEC
Tournament as a 12th seed and an
outside shot at the NCAA
Tournament automatic bid.
After defeating Alabama and
Kentucky, the Gamecocks bowed
out to Ole Miss this past Sunday
while playing without the services
of starting backcourt sophomores
Lauren Simms and Lea Fabbri,
who they will also be without for
the SEC Tournament.
Simms has been sidelined since
sustaining a knee injury against
Alabama, and Fabbri flew back to
her hometown of Zagreb, Croatia
last Saturday following the death
of her father. While Carolina
could have let these unfortunate
events drop its spirits on another
disappointing season, the
Gamecocks came out and fought
against Mississippi.
“With Simms out and losing
Fabbri, we are without some depth
and experience on perimeter,"
Walvius said. “I thought we played
well considering we lost our point
guard. It was a real emotional blow
to our team. But at the same time,
other players have stepped up."
The two main players who have
stepped up their games have been
sophomores Stacy Booker and Iva
Sliskovic. Booker has averaged 38
minutes over the past five games,
playing the entire game against
both LSU and Mississippi. Her
production also increased, with an
average of 12 points and six
rebounds during that span.
Sliskovic has also become a force in
the post, averaging 11 points and
eight rebounds over the span. After
beginning the season slowly,
Sliskovic has scored in double
figures in the past four games,
highlighted by a 16-point, 15
rebound effort against Kentucky.
Playing in the toughest
conference in the nation, Carolina’s
first game will be a Thursday night
rematch with Ole Miss. The
jk
♦ Please see WOMEN, page 13
USC looks to continue streak
By TYLER GREGG
THE GAMECOCK
The Gamecock baseball team
(9-0) will play in its first night
game of the season when they
host the Wofford Terriers (5-7)
tonight at 6 p.m. The Terriers
have yet to win a conference
game in three tries, despite a
relative lack of talent in the
Southern Conference this year.
More positive news for
Gamecock fans is that Wofford is
also 0-4 in away games this
season.
The Carolina baseball team is
starting this season like any top
team in the country would expect
to. USC is coming off of its third
series sweep to improve to 9-0 on
the year. Although the
Gamecocks have yet to play an
opponent that matches up talent
wise, Carolina has dominated in
virtually all previous nine wins.
USC is now ranked No. 5
nationally in three major polls.
This past weekend, Carolina
hosted the Niagra Purple Eagles
and outscored them 33-6. The
Gamecocks were led this
weekend by senior Steve Pearce,
who was coming off of a six
game suspension stemming
from a rule infraction.
Those worried that the star
third baseman would be rusty
were quickly proved wrong by
Pearce’s play. Pearce went 8-for
13 (.615) with three homers,
two of which were grand slams,
and he also cracked in 10 RBIs.
Pearce was rewarded for his play
nationally, as he was named the
Louisville Slugger’s National
Player of the Week.
This year’s Wofford squad is
once again led by sophomore
pitcher Austin Redwine, who is
3-1 on the year and has a 3.28
ERA. Redwine was just three
outs away from a no-hitter this
past weekend against Stony
Brook. Redwine allowed just two
hits while striking out seven and
walking one in the outing.
Although Redwine is a solid
pitcher, freshman lefty Chip
Hunt will get the start for the
Terriers. Hunt has pitched just
three innings this season and has
given up three earned runs.
Batters are hitting .286 against
the southpaw.
Taking the mound for the
♦ Please see BASEBALL, page 13
.:_~....j:_i
KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK
Junior outfielder Michael Campbell fields a fly ball in the Gamecocks’
19-1 win over Niagara in game two of a three-game series.
Fraternity Fight Night provides rare thrills
■ it wasn t Friday Night
Fights, but it passed for
decent entertainment
To paraphrase one of my
favorite sayings: There’s comedy,
there’s high
comedy and
then there’s
Fraternity
Fight Night.
Qbviously I
couldn’t pass
up free
ringside
tickets to this,
JAKE so here is my
BROOM Fraternity
Fight Night
SECOND-YEAR Journal
POLITICAL 3 _
SCIENCE /-JB P-m
STUDENT My roommate
and I arrive at
Club Tropical, quite possibly the
shadiest place I have ever seen. We
notice there is an ambulance
parked outside, but we can’t decide
if that is for the boxing or just that
this place deserves an ambulance
parked outside at all times.
7:56 p.m. After we finally get
in, we realize two things: 1) They
are blasting horrible Spanish
music and 2) this is the first ever
dance club/boxing establishment
that either of us has ever seen. It is
truly something to behold.
8:11 p.m. “Dude, look in the
back...is that Suge Knight?" The
fact that he is being serious is
probably not a good sign.
8:24 p.m. One of the fighters
approaches his friends in the
crowd to talk. He looks like he
just caught his girlfriend cheating
on him with tbe guy that killed
his puppy. This can gp one of two
ways: 1) He will corpe out going
crazy and completely pound his
opponent, or 2) he will come out
scared and get beat like he stole
something.
8:52 p.m. Allie, the ring girl,
forces on a fake smile so she can
walk the fighters around the ring.
Afterwards she goes back to
screaming at some poor guy on
her cell phone.
8:57 p.m. Remember that guy
from 8:24 p.m.? Yeah, it looks
like he is going with option 2.
9:10 p.m. One of the guys in
the first fight dislocated his
shoulder, and it popped back in
(according to the referee). I give
him props; that is pretty hardcore.
9:15 p.m. The next two
fighters come out in shorts and
New Balance shoes. Their
combined weight is probably
around 250 lbs. I thought I was in
the right place, but this could turn
out to be a cross country njeet. I’m
not exactly sure right now.
9:38 p.m. One of the guys
fighting now is wearing a
sleeveless shirt with “Shut Up and
Fish” written on the back of it. If
that isn’t intimidation, I don’t
know what is. I’m surprised he
could tear himself away from the
“Dukes of Hazzard” marathon on
CMT long enough to be here.
9:40 p.m. Dislocated Shoulder
Dude is now behind me
supporting a beer with said
shoulder. Apparently he is a fast
healer.
9:45 p.m. After the third fight
ended, the guy took off his gloves,
and he had on a wristwatch the
entire time. Why, I don’t know.
Maybe he had muffins in the oven.
9:50 p.m. The ring announcer
is now in the ring with a woman,
singing her “Happy Birthday”
while she blows out the candles
A »
♦ Please see BROOM, page 13