March 15, 2006
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THE BASICS
The South Carolina women’s basketball team (17-11 overall; 7-7 Southeastern Conference) accepted a bid to the Women’s NIT and travels to Cincinnati to face Xavier (20-8; 11-5 Atlantic 10) in the opening round of the tournament this Friday at 7 p.m. Eastern. South Carolina’s return to the WNIT is a notable one, as the Gamecocks won the 1979 tournament (then-referred to as the NWIT) by claiming wins over California, Oregon and Drake. This year marks Carolina’s first return trip to the WNIT since its 1979 championship run.
ON THE AIR
The game will be broadcast live on WISW 1320 AM Radio Columbia, with Andy Demetra handling play-by-play and Robin Muller providing analysis. For listeners outside of Columbia, the live radio broadcast will also be aired worldwide via the internet on the official web site of South Carolina athletics, www.uscsports.com.
ACCESSING THE WEB BROADCAST
To access the internet broadcast, go to www.uscsports.com, then go to the women’s basketball home page and click on “Schedule/Results”. At the top of the page is a link for Audio Broadcasts. Click on that link, then select the game you wish to listen to.
THE COACHES
Susan Walvius is in her ninth year at the helm of the South Carolina women’s basketball program and her 16th year overall as a head coach. Prior to USC, she coached at Virginia Commonwealth and West Virginia. The 2002 SEC Coach of the Year led the Gamecocks to consecutive top-20 national finishes and NCAA tournament appearances in 2002 and 2003. Her 2002 squad advanced to the Elite Eight. She has led the Gamecocks to one of the largest improvements in the country in 2005-06. Former Notre Dame and Miami of Ohio assistant Kevin McGuff is in his fourth season at the helm of the Xavier women’s basketball program. He led the Musketeers to a 22-10 overall record and a share of the Atlantic 10 West Division Title with a 13-3 league mark during the 2004-05 season. XU advanced to the quarterfinals of the WNIT after downing both Western Kentucky and Indiana State on the road. In fact, the Musketeers were the only team in the WNIT field to win two games on the road.
SOUTH CAROLINA FROM A DISTANCE
Height, experience, defense and balanced scoring are the name of the game for South Carolina, as the Gamecocks boast eight players that stand 6-0 or taller and rank as the 15th-tallest team in the nation. Carolina’s roster is dotted by eight juniors and one senior, but freshman Demetress Adams has emerged as a bright spot. Adams earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team, with junior Melanie Johnson a second-team All-SEC honoree. The Gamecocks rank among the national leaders in field goal percentage defense, scoring defense and blocked shots. Playing very well of late, Carolina has won five of its last seven and seven of its last 10, including victories in four of its last five SEC road games. The Gamecocks endured a brutal schedule to open the conference slate, facing No. 1 Tennessee, No. 3 LSU, No. 23 Vanderbilt and Kentucky in Lexington, but rebounded to finish the SEC season with a 7-7 record. Of Carolina’s 11 losses, nine came at the hands of teams that have been ranked in the top 25 this year.
XAVIER FROM A DISTANCE
Boasting a 20-8 overall record and an 11-5 mark in the Atlantic 10, the Musketeers finished fourth in their league, earning a bye in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament before falling to Saint Joseph’s in the quarterfinal round. Senior forward Tara Boothe is Xavier’s top player, as the first-team all-league pick leads the Atlantic 10 and ranks fourth in the nation with 21.6 points per game. Her 9.4 rebounds per game ranks second in the conference. Junior guard Suntana Granderson (15.4 points per game) was also a first-team all-conference selection.
THE WOMEN’S NIT IN BRIEF
The WNIT kicks off postseason action on March 15 with preliminary-round games. Sixteen teams will play in that round, and then feed into 16 first-round games. All games are held on the campuses of participating schools, and no seeds are designated. This is the first year that the tournament expanded from 32 to 40 teams, which was done to offer more postseason opportunities to teams that won their regular-season conference title but lost in their conference tournament and did not earn an NCAA automatic berth.
A CAROLINA WIN OVER XAVIER WOULD:
>> Set up a second-round match up with either Villanova, Hofstra or Stony Brook.
>> Bring the Gamecocks one game closer to a 20-win season. With 17 wins entering the Women’s NIT, South Carolina would need to advance to the semifinal round of the tournament to reach the 20-win plateau.
>> Mark the Gamecocks’ sixth win in their last eight games.
COMMON OPPONENTS
Auburn is the only team that both South Carolina and Xavier faced this year, with the Gamecocks splitting a pair of contests vs. the Tigers and the Musketeers claiming a 60-58 win at Auburn on Dec. 12. Carolina downed Auburn, 58-46 at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum before suffering a 64-48 setback at the SEC Tournament.
CAROLINA OWNS SIZEABLE HEIGHT ADVANTAGE
South Carolina owns a noticeable height advantage over Xavier, as the Gamecocks boast eight players who are 6-0 or taller and five players 6-3 or taller. The Musketeers have only five players who are 6-0 or taller and nobody taller than 6-2. Perhaps more significant is the fact that Carolina’s three leading scorers are 6-2 or taller, whereas Xavier gets very little production from its taller players, with the exception of 6-1 Tara Boothe, who leads the team in scoring.
JOHNSON EARNS A SPOT ON ALL-SEC TEAM
Junior forward Melanie Johnson was recognized as a second-team all-SEC performer by the league’s coaches. Johnson leads the team in scoring, rebounding and steals with 10.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. Johnson finished the season in a very strong fashion, averaging 15.6 points, 8.3 boards and 3.4 thefts per game in her last seven games. Johnson posted double-doubles in both of Carolina’s last two games and went for a double-double in four of her last seven games, highlighted by a 27-point, 10-rebound explosion in Carolina’s win at Florida on Feb. 12.
MELANIE MAGIC
During the course of her two-year career, the performance of Melanie Johnson usually has a large impact on the success of the Gamecocks, and an examination of her career stats certainly demonstrates as much. During her career, when Melanie Johnson …
>> Records a double-double, Carolina is 8-3.
>> Scores 10 or more points, Carolina is 18-5.
>> Grabs 10 or more rebounds, Carolina is 8-6
>> Makes five or more steals, Carolina is 8-1.
>> Leads the team in scoring, Carolina is 10-4.
>> Leads the team in assists, Carolina is 6-1.
ADAMS A FRESHMAN ALL-SEC PERFORMER
It doesn’t take most observers very long to recognize that freshmen Demetress Adams is usually one of the most talented players on the court. The SEC All-Freshman honoree started the season averaging 10.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game through her first 10 games. In the 11th game of the year, Adams injured her hand and was forced to wear a bulky and cumbersome bandage on her shooting hand for the next five games. Consequently, her numbers took a dip. Since getting the bandage off, Adams is back to her early-season form, highlighted by back-to-back 18-point performances over Kentucky and Florida and a 15-point, seven-rebound effort against Longwood.
WHO’S GOT THE HOT HAND LATELY?
>> Redshirt sophomore Lakesha Tolliver is averaging 12.2 points on 25-of-39 shooting from the field (.641 pct) in her last five games.
>> Junior Melanie Johnson is averaging 15.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game in her last seven games. Johnson posted double-doubles in both of Carolina’s last two games and went for a double-double in four of her last seven games, highlighted by a 27-point, 10-rebound explosion in Carolina’s win at Florida on Feb. 12.
>> Junior Iva Sliskovic matched a career high with 20 points in the regular-season finale at Vanderbilt. Sliskovic averaged 10.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in her last five games.
>> Freshman Demetress Adams has converted on 46 of her last 72 field goal attempts (.639 pct) in the last 10 games.
>> As a group, Carolina’s post players have been very steady of late, as the quartet of Tolliver, Johnson, Adams and Sliskovic has combined to average 44.8 points per game on 90-of-163 shooting from the field (.552 pct) during the last five games.
>> Carolina’s team rebounding has improved significantly during the last five games, as the Gamecocks have outrebounded their last five opponents by an average margin of +12.6 boards per game.
YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY
South Carolina ranks as one of the most improved teams in the nation from a year ago, as the Gamecocks compiled an 8-21 overall record to go with a 2-12 mark in SEC play in 2004-05, but have come back to go 17-11 overall and 7-7 in the SEC this year.
2005-06 Team Accomplishments
>> Entering the Women’s NIT, the Gamecocks rank among the most improved teams from a year ago, as Carolina has won nine more games than it did a year ago.
>> Entering the Women’s NIT, South Carolina has limited the opposition to 56.4 points per game, setting a new school record. The previous record was 59.3 points per game, set by the Gamecocks of 2002-03.
>> Entering the Women’s NIT, South Carolina has limited the opposition to 34.4 percent shooting from the field, setting a new school record. The previous record for field goal percentage defense was 36.6 percent, set by this same group last year.
>> Entering the Women’s NIT, the Gamecocks have set a school record with 189 blocked shots and counting this year, surpassing last year’s previous-record total of 176.
>> The Gamecocks claimed road wins over Alabama, Mississippi State, Florida and Auburn in succession, marking the first time that Carolina has won four consecutive SEC road games since joining the conference in 1991-92.
>> Carolina beat No. 14 Minnesota, 79-61 on Dec. 13, shooting 58.3 percent from the field in the contest.
>> The Gamecocks drilled in-state rival Clemson, 77-46.
>> The Gamecocks set a pair of school records by limiting Bethune-Cookman to only seven points in the first half and 26 points for the game.
>> The Gamecocks matched a school record by limiting Bethune-Cookman to 14.0 percent shooting from the field (8-of-57).
>> The Gamecocks have limited 11 different opponents to either 30 percent shooting or lower from the field.
>> The Gamecocks tied a school record by blocking 13 shots against Western Carolina.
2005-06 Individual Accomplishments
>> Junior forward Melanie Johnson was a second-team all-SEC selection.
>> Freshman forward Demetress Adams earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team.
>> Freshman Demetress Adams was recognized as the SEC Player of the Week and the SEC Freshman of the Week on Dec. 26, becoming one of only nine Gamecocks ever to be selected as the SEC Player of the Week and becoming the first Carolina freshman ever to be named SEC Freshman of the Week.
>> Freshman Demetress Adams posted a double-double in her first game at the collegiate level, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in Carolina’s season-opening win over High Point. The freshman also notched double-doubles against Savannah State (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Bethune-Cookman (12 points, 10 rebounds).
>> Junior forward Melanie Johnson erupted for 27 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in leading South Carolina to an 81-63 win over Florida in Gainesville on Feb. 12.
>> Junior guard Stacy Booker scored 20 points against Georgia Southern, marking the second time in her career that she has scored 20 or more points in a game.
>> Junior forward Iva Sliskovic notched her sixth career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds against then-No. 14 Texas, she then picked up her seventh with 15 points and 10 boards vs. Clemson.
DEFENSE AND REBOUNDING ARE CAROLINA’S KEYS
Most coaches will tell you that defense and rebounding win games, and an examination of Carolina’s stats certainly illustrates that point. In the Gamecocks’ 17 wins, they have limited the opposition to 47.4 points per game on 29.0 percent shooting from the field and hold a +12.9 rebounding margin. In the Gamecocks’ 11 losses, the opposition averages 70.3 points per game on 42.3 percent shooting from the field, with Carolina’s rebounding margin dipping to +1.3.
USC BENCH DOUBLED-UP ON OPPONENTS
South Carolina’s non-starters have scored more than double what the opposition’s non-starters scored, as the Gamecock bench averaged 34.5 points per game against 16.4 points per game from the opponent’s bench. During South Carolina’s seven-game winning streak earlier this season, the Gamecocks’ non-starters combined to average 46.1 points per game, whereas the opposition’s non-starters combined to average 9.3 points per contest.
IN BOX WE TRUST
There was a new addition to the Carolina bench in the Gamecocks’ win over Florida in Gainesville on Feb. 12, as a large cardboard box adorned the bench. The box was found and brought in by assistant coach Tammy Holder as a reminder to the team of the importance of boxing out. Carolina was outrebounded by smaller Mississippi State and Kentucky teams before the box’s arrival, but came back to out-rebound Florida, 43-33. The box has been on the bench every game since, with the Gamecocks holding a +10.6 rebounding margin over the opposition during that time.
GAMECOCKS ARE THE FABULOUS NO-NAMES
Among the consistent themes of the 2005-06 season has been the fact that no Carolina player has emerged as a star, but as Susan Walvius has said numerous times, “The strength of our team is our team.” Her thoughts are backed up by the fact that no Gamecock averaged more than 10.6 points per game during the regular season, but five different players averaged between 7.4 points and 10.6 points per game. A total of nine different players have led the Gamecocks in scoring in a game this year.
THE SWAT TEAM SETS A NEW RECORD
For the second straight year Carolina has set a new school record for blocked shots, as the Gamecocks have blocked a whopping 189 shots in 28 games this year (6.8 per game). Prior to last season’s blocked shot total of 176, the previous school record was 115.
CAROLINA GETTING DEFENSIVE
Only Tennessee, Kentucky, LSU, Georgia, Florida, Vanderbilt and Auburn have shot 40 percent or better from the field against South Carolina’s stingy defense this year. The Gamecocks have limited 11 different opponents to either 30 percent shooting from the field or lower this year and held 18 of their last 23 opponents below their season field goal percentage entering the game.
PALMETTO STATE NATIVES DOT USC ROSTER
A total of seven native South Carolinians are included on the 2005-06 Gamecock roster, including four players from Carolina’s backyard of Columbia. Lauren Simms (Spring Valley HS), Angela Hunter (Columbia HS), Lakesha Tolliver (Dreher HS) and Brionna Dickerson (Heathwood Hall) all hail from Columbia, with Melanie Johnson (Barnwell HS), Ebony Jones (Aiken HS) and Demetress Adams (Lee Central HS) also staying in-state for college.
ABOVE THE REST
When taking a look at the Carolina roster, it is not difficult to see that the Gamecocks have an extraordinary amount of tall players. A total of eight players are 6-0 or taller, with Carolina’s average height a robust 71.9 inches (just a shade under six feet). To put that height into a competitive perspective, the Gamecocks are the 15th-tallest team in the nation and the fifth-tallest team in the SEC behind national leader Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia and Alabama.
