The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 01, 2006, Page 10, Image 10
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Page 10 ^3 X _ L. ■ ^3 Wednesday, March 1,2006
Tourney time for USC
Probable Starters
use 17-10, 7-7 SEC PPG RPG
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F Melanie Johnson 10.5 6.3
C Ilona Burgrova 5.3 ■Kl.lSl
G Shannel Harris 3.1 2.5
IG Lea Fabbri I : 5.6 IH I
Auburn 13-14, 4-10 SEC
F Marita Payne 8.3 6.81
C KeKe Carrier 9.1 4.9
G DeWanna Bonner 13.2 6.3
G Nitasha Brown 11.2 2.6
G Whitney Boddie 7.5 4.2
Vaughn Braxton / THE GAMECOCK
USC forward Lakesha Tolliver’s recent scoring surge has
the Gamecocks thinking big as they head into tourney.
Women enter SEC tournament
against Auburn as No. 7 seed
Stephen Fastenau
SPORTS EDITOR
USC enters the postseason
Thursday hoping to keep
momentum going on what
has been quite a turnaround
compared to last season.
With a win against
Auburn on Thursday, the
Gamecocks would hold
10 more wins than they
finished with last season.
USC enters the tournament
as the No. 7 seed, while the
Tigers hold the No. 10 seed
with a 3-10 Southeastern
Conference record.
Last season’s Gamecock
squad finished with a 8-21
record and went 2-12 in
the SEC during what coach
Susan Walvius had dubbed
a rebuilding year.
This season, last year’s
freshmen and sophomores
form a more experienced
unit, one that stands 17
10 overall and 7-7 in
conference play.
After a slow 2-3 start to
the season, Walvius’ team
reeled off seven consecutive
wins that included victories
over then top-2 5 Minnesota
and in-state rival Clemson.
Following the winning
streak, the team hit a
stretch of four consecutive
losses that included losses
to top-10 teams LSU and
Tennessee.
The Gamecocks have
not lost consecutive games
since.
Junior forward Melanie
Johnson has emerged
as team leader. She has
averaged 15.8 points and
nearly eight rebounds in A
the past six games. M
Johnson’s 27-point, ■
10-rebound performance ■
against Florida on Feb. ^
12 was a career high and
kickstarted a USC run
that included winning
five of its last si
games.
Freshman
Demetress Adams
has made an
immediate impact
in her first
season. She
averages eight
points while
coming up
with consecutive 18
point performances against
Kentucky and Florida
and establishing herself
as an SEC All-Freshman
candidate.
The Gamecocks owe
much of their late-season
success to “The Box,” the
latest member of USC’s
squad to make an impact.
After being out-rebounded
by Mississippi State and
Kentucky, USC assistant
coach Tammy Holder
brought the box along
for the first time against
Florida, leaving it beside
the bench as a reminder to
the team to box out. The
Gamecocks out-rebounded
the Gators 43-33 in the
win and
then out
rebounded Auburn in the
next game. The box then
became a permanent figure
on USC’s bench.
The Gamecocks hold an
average of almost plus-13
rebounding margin in their ^
17 wins and have held teams
to 47.4 points per game on
29 percent shooting.
If USC gets past Auburn
in the first round Thursday,
they’ll be rewarded with a
second-round matchup with
Tennessee, the tournament’s
No. 2 seed. The Volunteers
beat USC 66-51 Jan. 4.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm. sc. edu
Vaughn Braxton /
THE GAMECOCK
USC forward Melanie
Johnson has averaged
nearly 16 points and
eight rebounds in her
last six games.
2006 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament Bracket
Thursday, March 2 Friday, March 3 Saturday, March 4 Sunday, March 5
#9 Arkansas
Game 1
Noon [RSN] -
Game 5
#8 Ole Miss_ Noon [RSN] -
#1 LSU_
#12 Mississippi State Game 9
Game 3 6:30 P m- tRSNl
6:30 p.m. [RSN] -
Game 7
#5 Florida _ 6;30 p m [RSN] -
#4 Kentucky_
Game 11
5 p.m. [ESPN2]
#11 Alabama Game 8
' 8:50 p.m. [RSN] _
Game 4
8:50 p.m. [RSN] #3 Georgia_
#6 Vanderbilt Game lO
- 8:50 p.m. [RSN] -
#10 Auburn Game 6
2:30 p.m. [RSN] -
Game 2
2:30 p.m. [RSN] #2 Tennessee_
#7 USC _
‘Big Baby’ gives Odom, Gamecocks something to cry about
LSU forward scores 24points and hands
USC 64-61 loss at the Colonial Center
Hiatt Hloore
THE GAMECOCK
USC watched another
close game slip out of reach
as Glen “Big Baby” Davis
and LSU defeated the
Gamecocks 64-61.
Davis was somewhat
neutralized in the first
half by Gamecock center
Antoine Tisby and forward
Brandon Wallace, who were
able to hold him to only six
points and four rebounds.
H^ad coach Dave Odom was
pleased with the defensive
effort.
.“I thought defensively we
were extremely good in the
first half,” Odom said after
the game. “We kept Glen
Davis out of rhythm. The
idea of course was just to
wear him down, and, let’s be
honest, the guy’s an athlete.
He’s in good condition,
and it’s tough to wear him
down.”
Davis’ second half
performance proved Odom’s
point. He finished the
garnet with 24 points and
10 rebounds, recording his
17th double-double of the
season. Davis, a 67 percent
free-throw shooter, also
went 10-11 from the stripe.
The Gamecocks (14-14,
5-10 in the SEC) went into
halftime with a 34-28 lead
despite a scoring slump
lasting more than four
minutes, only to be ended
by a Brandon Wallace
3-pointer. The slump
returned at the start of the
second half.
“We weren’t able to
sustain [our strategy]
throughout the whole
game,” Odom said. “In
able to do that you’ve got to
score. At the beginning of
the secc^id half, we got the
ball and we came out a little
bit sluggish.”
LSU was able to tie the
game, and it was not until
the 14:56 mark that USC
was able to score. Tisby
made a free throw, tying the
game at 35, and then hit a
jumper to regain the lead
for the Gamecocks. Tisby’s
strong defensive stop then
led to a fast break layup
for guard Rocky Trice, and
it seemed as though the
Gamecocks were back on
track. Tisby finished with 7
points and nine rebounds.
Wallace then stole the
show, getting blocks on two
straight possessions. He
ended his defensive flurry
with a putback dupk on the
other end that gave USC
a 51-49 lead with 6:52 to
play.
LSU (21-7, 13-2 in the
SEC) managed to get the
lead back with 2:14 to go
and did not let it go. USC
had a chance trailing by two
with 39 seconds remaining
after a Glen Davis turnover,
but USC’s Tarence Kinsey
was called for a walk. The
Gamecocks then needed a
three to tie, but they only
managed a layup with 2.5
seconds remaining.
“Coach just wanted us
to take the shot that was
open,” guard Tre’ Kelley
said following the game.
“We had good shooters out
there. We were gfetting
good looks out there, but
we just didn’t knock them
down.”
Kelley’s final desperation
heave at the buzzer didn’t
fall, and the Gamecocks
dropped their third-straight
game decided by three'
points or fewer.
Kinsey led USC with 21
points, and Wallace added
11 points and four blocks.
It was LSU’s Davis and
forward Tasmin Mitchell
who stole the show.
Mitchell dropped in 20 to
go along with Davis’ 24.
“It’s OK to feel bad,”
Odom said of the close
losses. “It’d be a lot worse
if you didn’t feel bad. They
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