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I_J I ■ ^ I Men’s basketball @ Auburn, 2 p.m.
Page 8 - Friday, March 3,2006
USC prepares for rivalry weekend
Juan Bias / THE GAMECOCK
Second baseman Chris Brown attempts to make a catch during a game against Duquesne last weekend. USC swept the weekend series 3-0.
Gamecocks look to
young talent to defeat
No. 1 Clemson
Brian Dauis
THE GAMECOCK
One of college baseball’s
most competitive rivalries
will resume this weekend
when a young, No. 9 USC
team combats the No. 1
Clemson Tigers (5-1) in
one game at each team’s
home field.
Clemson’s weekend
starters will likely be
junior Jason Berken (2-0)
and junior right-hander
Stephen Faris (1-0).
Dencen nas given up zero
runs in nine innings and
has struck out 12 batters
in his outings. Despite
USC’s improved hitting
performance last weekend,
coach Ray Tanner explained
that lights-out pitchers will
wow hitters.
“When you’re facing a
guy like Jason Berken, you
have to be realistic,” said
Tanner, whose weekend
starters will be junior
lefthander Arik Hempy and
BASEBALL • 9
Women’s hoops
lose in first round
Auburn’s Bonner
helps USC exit
SEC Tournament
The Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. —
In case USC had any
notions of coming back
from a 27-21 deficit at the
half Thursday, Auburn’s
DeWanna Bonner scored
seven points during a nine
point run to open the period
and keep the Gamecocks
from challenging.
Dunncr, a rrcsmiiaii,
scored 25 points for the
game as lOth-seed Auburn
(14-14) posted a 64-48
victory over seventh-seed
USC (17-11) in the first
round of the Southeastern
Conference Tournament.
“I think this team has
played very hungry,”
Auburn coach Nell Fortner
said. “I’m really proud of
their focus.”
Auburn used its height
advantage to shut down the
Gamecocks.
Fortner noted that her
post players stand 6-foot-4,
6-5 and 6-7.
“That’s pretty hard to
score on,” she said.
Auburn will face the
tournament’s No. 2 seed
in No. 5 Tennessee at
2:30 p.m. Central Time on
Friday.
Auburn opened the game
with a 13-0 run that kept
the Gamecocks without
a point until Melanie
Johnson hit a layup with
13:40 remaining in the first
half. USC never led in the
game.
Gamecocks coach Susan
Walvius said she hopes
the NCAA Tournament
selection committee can
overlook Thursday’s
performance.
You re going to have days
when you don’t have a great
game,” Walvius said.
“We’ve got a great
basketball team and I hope
the NCAA will take a look at
that.”
Johnson kept USC in
the game with 12 first-half
points, but the Gamecocks
never threatened because
shots simply would not
fall.
The Gamecocks finished
21-72 from the field, 29.2
percent.
“I was concerned about
this game because I know
how strong Auburn is
Danny Johnston / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Auburn’s Sherell Hobbs goes up under USC’s Ilona Burgrova
during the second half of the SEC Tournament first-round
basketball game Thursday in North Little Rock, Ark.
defensively,” Walvius said.
But she was still vexed by
the poor shooting, even
though Auburn’s height
made it tough to shoot
in the paint. USC did
pull down 19 offensive
rebounds.
“You’d think we’d walk
out with a W,” Walvius
said.
Bonner, a first-team
member of the SEC’s All
Freshman team, led all
scorers with 25 points and
pulled down 13 rebounds.
KeKe Carrier, Nitasha
Brown and Whitney Boddie
finished with 10 points
apiece.
Johnson led USC with
14 points, but she scored
only 2 points in the second
half.
Major League players step up to plate for World Baseball Classic
Ronald Blum
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TAMPA, Fla. — Asked if
he thought Bemie Williams
would try to take him out
at second base during the
World Baseball Classic,
Derek Jeter looked at his
teammate in a corner of
the Yankees’ clubhouse.
“Better get down,
buddy!” Jeter yelled
playfully Wednesday, a
day before they turn in
their pinstripes and head
to their national teams.
Jeter will put on the
red, white and blue
for the U.S. team and
Williams will play for
Puerto Rico. They’ll be
among 150 or so major
leaguers suiting up in
the 16-nation tournament,
which begins Thursday
night U.S. time in Tokyo,
when South Korea plays
Taiwan and Japan meets
China.
Williams doesn’t know
whether he’d barrel into
Jeter in the late innings.
“I’ll have to use a lot
of caution,” Wdliams said.
“Hopefully, the situation
will not come.”
It’s hard to forecast
whether players, still
getting back into baseball
shape, will treat these like
spring training games,
postseason pressure-cookers
or something in between.
Yet it sure will be neat
to see Roger Clemens
pitching for the United
States, Ichiro Suzuki
hitting for Japan and
David Ortiz slugging for
the Dominican Republic.
The United States,
the Dominicans and the
Puerto Ricans figure to be
among the top teams in
the tournament along with
Japan, Venezuela and Cuba,
the defending Olympic
Tommcm • 9
Spring break offers chance
for perfect sports getaway
Forget beach — catch
jaw-dropping events
around entire country
You’re standing there
wondering what to do
with yourself during
spring break.
You love
sports,
and more
importantly,
you relish
the thought
A f f ll P
wide-open BREED
highway, Graduate
the great Studentin
American sPons an(t
road trip entertainment
and freedom. management
It takes a
little research, an insane
amount of commitment
(not to mention the fact
that you must have a few
friends to take along) and
a large sum of money.
But the great sports
spring break extravaganza
is indeed possible, if
only theoretically. The
following is your itinerary
for an action-packed
week.
Saturday March 4,
2006. Hit the road. A
quick shot up Interstate
77, and then to 1-85,
takes you to the heart
of Tobacco Road country
— Durham, N.C. This
should take no more
than three-and-a-half
hours. Saturday marks
the regular season finale
and blockbuster ACC
showdown between Duke
and North Carolina, the
best rivalry in college
basketball.
Finding tickets to
Cameron Indoor may
be difficult, but the
experience of watching
a game in the old gym,
a cathedral of college
hoops, is something that
should be on everyone’s
list to do before they
die. When the game is
over, and the crowd is
filing out of Cameron
Indoor, there is no time
to waste.
Jump in the car,
make your way to 1-40,
merge onto 1-95 south,
and head on down to
Miami. An expert driver
should be able to pull
this off in less than 12
hours. Sunday is the
final round of the Ford
Championship at Doral
on the PGA Tour.
_____
has long been known as
one of the tour’s most
exciting non-major events
each year. Last year,
golf fans were treated
to a Sunday pairing of
Tiger Woods and Phil
Mickelson, with Tiger
Woods triumphing in the
end. The golf course at
Doral is known as “The
Blue Monster,” and for
good reason. Watching
the sport’s greatest
golfers humbled by a
golf course that has the
ability to make them
seem like your average
weekend hacker, is very
entertaining. Miami is a
great town, so there is
no sense in passing up
the opportunity to spend
the night and pay a visit
to South Beach.
i ne iicAi uay you niu
the road for 1-77 north;
a little more than four
hours later you arrive
in Tampa, Florida.
Baseball’s spring training
is underway, and what
better team to watch
than the greatest sports
dynasty of all time —
the Yankees. The Yankees
play the Blue Jays on
Tuesday in Tampa. The
Yankees’ owner, George
Steinbrenner, has all
but guaranteed a World
Series title this year.
The next destination
for the spring break
road trip is Atlanta,
GRcen • 9