WBB Post-Game Blog: A Hard Lesson

It was another hard lesson for this young women’s basketball team.

After a hard-earned road win against No. 14 Georgia, the Gamecocks stumbled at home against Mississippi State, falling 55-53 on Thursday night.

South Carolina turned the ball over 18 times (their highest total in eight games) and shot just 34.9% from the field (their lowest in their last five games).

“It was a very winnable game, but we didn’t deserve to win,” said South Carolina Head Coach Dawn Staley. “We lost this game with our preparation.”

In a game that featured a series of mini-runs by each team, it was the Bulldogs who managed to pull away with the win.

South Carolina had an opportunity to tie the game with the final possession of regulation, but Kelsey Bone’s lay-up attempt with a second to go failed to drop.

Staley had been unhappy with the team’s effort in practice in the days leading up to the match-up with Mississippi State.

“It’s my job to get them right and they weren’t right coming into the game,” she said. “Our players have a responsibility too. They have to get themselves in a position to get up and play basketball games.”

An instant reaction might point to Gamecock miscues in the final minute of action as crucial, but Staley and La’Keisha Sutton said the issues were apparent throughout the contest.

“It didn’t come down to those plays,” Staley said. “It came down to plays where things broke down.”

“Throughout the whole game, different people made different mistakes,” said Sutton. “It wasn’t any one mistake.”

Key Box Score

	Total FG-FGA	3 pt FG-FGA	FT-FTA	Rebs	Pts	Assts	TO	Blk	Stl	Min
G Ieasia Walker	4-10	2-4	0-0	5	10	2	4	0	2	27

The freshman guard recorded an SEC-season high in minutes played with 27. Walker had her highest point output since a 10-point effort against Kentucky.

Walker shot 4-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-4 from behind the arc.


Key Stats

• The Gamecocks out-rebounded the Bulldogs 41-29. Kelsey Bone (13) and Charenee Stephens (10) each had double-digit rebound totals.
• The Gamecocks had their highest positive rebound margin (+12) since out-rebounding Brown by 20.
• Stephens recorded her first double-double of SEC play and her second of the season with 10 rebounds and 10 points.
• South Carolina turned the ball over 18 times, their highest total since 18 turnovers against Kentucky on Jan. 14.

Key Quote

“We lost as a team, we won as a team. Hopefully, we’ll come back better as a team on Sunday.” – La’Keisha Sutton

Know a Gamecock: Ieasia Walker

Women’s basketball freshman Ieasia Walker comes to Columbia from Amityville, NY. A 5’8 guard, Walker averages 4.5 points per game for the Gamecocks and has played in all 23 games this season.

What is your greatest achievement so far?

Winning two national championships at the AAU level.

What is your greatest fear?

Getting injured.

What is the last song you heard?

Jay-Z – What more can I say

What is the last book you read?

Does poetry count? The last thing I read was a poetry book for English class.

What is a talent you’d like to have?

I want to be a better artist.  I’ve always liked to draw. I can draw good, but I can’t draw people really well.  I’d like to perfect that art.

What is your dream job?

To be a coach, maybe at the high school level.

What is your most treasured possession?

My iPod.I like to do sudoku puzzles and that game is on there. I have about 800 songs, videos, everything’s on there.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I wish I was taller.

What is one place you’d like to visit before you die?

Hawaii – i don’t know why. That’s what everyone says. It looks beautiful there though.

Name three people you’d like to meet.

Kobe Bryant, Sanaa Lathan (Love and Basketball is one of my favorite movies), President Obama.

What was your favorite TV show growing up?

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Everyone watched that.

[The Editor: Just to tie it all together – here’s a clip of the Fresh Prince playing basketball. Side note – why are basketball courts always so tiny on sitcoms?]

Top of the Key: WBB vs. Mississippi State

South Carolina hosts Mississippi State tonight at 7 p.m. at Colonial Life Arena. The acrobat, Red Panda, will perform as the halftime act. The game will not be televised, but you can listen live on 1320 AM (in Columbia) or on GamecocksOnline.com. Brad Muller and Marcy Girton will have the call.

South Carolina (13-10, 6-5) Notes

• Freshman Kelsey Bone is averaging 14.5 points per game, and ranks second in the SEC in rebounding with 9.3 a game.

• The Gamecocks hold a 7-4 edge over the Lady Bulldogs in games played in Columbia.

• In Sunday’s game against No.14 Georgia, South Carolina tied its season low for points, but also yielded a season-low points in collecting a 52-42 win.

• Valerie Nainima was the only Gamecock to reach double-figures in Sunday’s contest, netting 21 points.

• A win against Mississippi State would bring head coach Dawn Staley within four wins of her 200^th as a head coach.

• The Gamecocks only need to win two more at home to clinch their 100^th all-time home win.

Mississippi State (15-9, 6-5) Notes

• Mississippi State is 3-2 in its last five games and is 3-2 in conference road games this season.

• As a team, the Lady Bulldogs are averaging 73.5 points per game while limiting opponents to 60.6.

• Mississippi State is shooting 41 percent from the field.

• Senior Alex Rack leads the Lady Bulldogs in scoring with 19.2 points per game.

• Mississippi State holds a 15-9 advantage in the overall series. The Lady Bulldogs have won seven of the last 10 meetings.

Halftime Act Preview: Red Panda

The halftime act for tonight’s men’s basketball game and tomorrow’s women’s basketball game will be Red Panda. Check out this YouTube clip for a preview:

Tickets are still available for both games – visit GamecocksOnline.com or call 800-4SC-FANS.

Valerie Nainima Feature Story

Ron Morris of The State has a great feature story on women’s basketball junior guard Valerie Nainima in today’s paper. Click here to read “USC’s Nainima develops into star.”

Now Nainima is helping lead the resurgence of the women’s program at USC. She leads the team in several categories: scoring (17.7 ppg.), minutes played per game (34.7), 3-pointers (69), assists (68) and free-throw shooting (79.2 percent).

She launches 3-pointers with a picture-perfect jump shot, and she is fearless in her drives to the basket. Her ball-handling skills allow her to slide into the point-guard position when needed, and her defensive prowess is as strong as anyone on the team.

Beyond all that, Nainima (pronounced Nye-KNEE-muh) possesses a work ethic that has transformed her from a “little chubby girl” recruit in Fiji to potentially the best player Staley has coached.

“She really is a coach’s dream,” Staley says.

Sunday’s WBB Fan Trip a Success

The second women’s basketball fan bus trip of the season brought about 50 Carolina fans to Athens to see the Gamecocks beat the No. 14 Georgia Bulldogs 52-42 on their home court on Sunday. The Gamecock faithful met at the Basketball Practice Facility and were greeted with a boxed meal from Firehouse Subs and a gift bag courtesy of South Carolina Athletics including a recyclable grocery bag, Pink Zone piggy bank, this year’s media guide, a pom-pom, a women’s basketball cup, and a face tattoo.

On the way to Stegeman Coliseum, everyone enjoyed their Firehouse lunch as well as cookies and fudge that a few fans brought to share with their fellow Gamecocks. During the game, the group made sure they were heard as they led the “Game – Cocks” and “U-S-C” cheer. Their efforts paid off as Carolina captured the program’s first win over a top-15 team since December 13, 2005, and Coach Staley later tweeted her appreciation for the Gamecock faithful.

The excitement from the game continued on the bus, as there was a celebratory buzz on the return trip. The group watched the movie “Rudy” on the way back to Columbia, and arrived back in time for the second half of the Super Bowl. The Gamecocks look to continue their win streak this week as they host Mississippi State Thursday at 7pm and Arkansas Sunday at 3pm for the 2010 WBCA Pink Zone game.

Top of the Key: WBB vs. No. 14 Georgia

The Gamecocks head to Athens today for the first of two contests against the Georgia Bulldogs. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at Stegeman Coliseum. Listen live on 1320 AM (in Columbia) or on GamecocksOnline.com. Brad Muller and Marcy Girton will have the call. The game is also televised on CSS.

South Carolina (12-10, 5-5) Notes

• South Carolina’s RPI is among the highest in the SEC at 32 (as of Feb. 5). Ahead of the Gamecocks are Tennessee (3), Georgia (14), Kentucky (22) and Vanderbilt (24).

• Dawn Staley chose to use November and December as a building block for success in January by having contests against challenging teams. As a result of this, the Gamecocks’ schedule is currently ranked as the eighth-toughest in the nation. Tennessee is the only team in the SEC that has faced a more strident challenge than South Carolina this season.

• South Carolina center Kelsey Bone has proven to be among the SEC’s top freshmen, leading the conference in rebounding (9.5) and ranking seventh in scoring (14.8). Bone’s rebounding average ranks 39^th in the nation and fourth nationally among freshmen.

• The Gamecocks are shooting 40.9 percent from 3-point range in SEC play to lead the league.

• South Carolina has scored in the 70s five times this season and is a perfect 5-0 in those games. Since Dawn Staley took the reins of the program, South Carolina is 10-3 in games in which it scores at least 70 points.

No. 14 Georgia (19-4, 6-4) Notes

• The Lady Bulldogs lead the series 28-4, including victories in the last nine meetings. The last time South Carolina defeated Georgia was a 64-59 decision on Feb. 7, 2002, to close out a season sweep of the Lady Bulldogs.

• The No. 14-ranked Georgia Lady Bulldogs look to build upon the momentum gained from a Thursday victory over No. 19 LSU. The win came after a three game losing streak.

• Georgia’s 16-0 start to begin the 2009-10 season was the Lady Bulldogs’ best opening to a campaign ever.

• Ashley Houts has played more career minutes than any other active Division I player entering 2009-10. She played 34 minutes against LSU on a sprained left ankle, and her amount of time on the court today is TBD.

• The Lady Bulldogs fell to Auburn last weekend by 14 points. The Gamecocks swept their series with Auburn this season.

Top of the Key: WBB vs. Auburn

The Gamecocks begin their week on the road tonight against Auburn at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum at 6 p.m. Listen live on 1320 AM (in Columbia) or on GamecocksOnline.com. Brad Muller and Marcy Girton will have the call.

South Carolina (11-10, 4-5) Notes

• The Gamecocks have a winning record of 5-3 against Auburn’s Head Coach Nell Fortner.
• A South Carolina victory would give the Gamecocks five SEC victories, the most since the 2008 squad collected six.
• The Gamecocks have a 4-3 edge in the last seven meetings including the 63-49 victory in Columbia to start this season’s series.
• La’Keisha Sutton, who is hitting an SEC-best 64.7 percent from behind the arc through nine SEC contests, led the Gamecocks in points against Tennessee with 19.  Sutton is third on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game, 24^th best in the SEC.
• South Carolina guard Valerie Ninima has been the Gamecocks’ leading scorer 10 times this season, during which the team has a 6-4 record. She has scored in double figures in all but one game this season.

Auburn (12-10, 3-6) Notes

• The Tigers lead the series 19-13 and are 10-4 at Auburn.
• The Gamecocks have not defeated the Tigers at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum since February 16, 2006.
• Auburn is coming off a 67-53 win over ninth-ranked Georgia.
• Tonight marks the fourth time head coach Nell Fortner has had to face another Olympic coach. She has also coached three of the four members on South Carolina’s coaching staff.
• Junior guard Allie Smalley had 12 points and 4 rebounds at South Carolina on Jan. 17, and has scored more than 20 points in each of the last two games.
• Center senior KeKe Carrier leads the SEC in conference-only games with 3.2 blocks per game, and is coming off a 15 point, 9 rebound, 4 block effort against Georgia. She led the Tigers with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 blocks in the last contest against USC.

WBB Post-Game Blog: Tough Lessons

Dawn Staley’s young Gamecocks learned another valuable lesson in  Sunday afternoon’s narrow 60-55 loss to No. 5 Tennessee.

“We played a good 37 minutes, but to beat a team like Tennessee, you have to play a full 40,” she said.

The Gamecocks blitzed the Lady Vols from the opening tip, jumping out to a 13-2 advantage at the first media break.

“We started the game really well,” said Staley. “We played off being in an exciting atmosphere.”

However, Tennessee’s experience helped them settle into the game in the second half and the teams began trading baskets for much of the second half. South Carolina would stretch their lead to as much as six points before Tennessee would claw back to within one or two.

“We knew this would be a real test for our team on the road today,” said Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt. “Coach Staley’s done a great job with this program.”

Tennessee tied it with 2:47 left and then took the lead for good with two minutes to play. The Gamecocks struggled to score at the end, missing three field goals and three free throws.

“We’ve got young players who’ve never been in that type of situation before,” said Staley. “Sometimes when you get that close, you start thinking instead of just reacting and playing. You have to execute at the end.”

Despite the loss, the team can take away positives to build on for the rest of the season and the future.

“This is the best team, as far as in wins and losses, in our conference,” said Staley. “If we can clean up the last three minutes of the game, we’re goin to win a whole lot more games left in this season.”

South Carolina’s leading scorer La’Keisha Sutton said the lessons of Sunday will carry on past the sting of the loss.

“It feels bad right now, but overall it was a good game,” she said. “We did a lot of good things and we came together as a team today. That’s all that matters.”

Junior guard Valerie Nainima said the Gamecocks need to apply these lessons at the next opportunity.

“We’re still learning from these types of experiences,” she said. “We just have to take back what we learned today for the next close game.”

Key Box Score

	Total FG-FGA	3 pt FG-FGA	FT-FTA	Rebs	Pts	Assts	TO	Blk	Stl	Min
G La’Keisha Sutton	7-12	3-3	2-4	2	19	3	5	0	1	38

Sutton was an offensive presence all afternoon – hitting outside shots and driving inside. The sophomore guard had her best offensive output in SEC play this season, scoring 19 points. Her previous high in SEC play this year was a 15-point effort against Florida.

Key Stats

• Bench scoring was a key factor in game as Tennessee’s bench contributed 32 points. South Carolina’s bench scored 6.
• The Gamecocks handed out 12 assists today. South Carolina lost for just the 3rd time this season when they dish out more than 10.
• Seven of South Carolina’s 10 losses have come to ranked teams.
• Sutton led the Gamecocks in scoring for the third time this season and the 12th time in her career.
• Nainima scored in double digits for the 20th time in 21 career games.

Key Quote

“We played a good 37 minutes. But to beat a team like Tennessee, you have to play a full 40.” – Dawn Staley

Top of the Key: WBB vs. No. 5 Tennessee

The Gamecocks look to knock off fifth-ranked Tennessee this Sunday at Colonial Life Arena. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. You can listen live on 1320 AM (Columbia) or on GamecocksOnline.com. Tickets are still available – visit GamecocksOnline.com or stop by the Colonial Life Arena box office. Single game tickets are $7 for adults, $3 for youth.

South Carolina (11-9, 4-4) Notes

• The Gamecocks had a 64-50 win over Ole Miss Thursday night, South Carolina shot 47.4 percent for the game, including 42.9 percent from 3-point range.
• Facing a Rebel team fresh off a road win over No. 8 Georgia, South Carolina took a 7-6 lead three minutes into the game and never looked back. The Gamecocks would lead by as much as 20 points.
• Valeria Nainima hit 5-of-9 from beyond the arc to finish with a game-high 17 points. La’Keisha Sutton’s 13 points were just ahead of Charenee Stephens’ 12 and Kelsey Bone’s 11, who tied for team-high honors with six rebounds each.
• Thursday’s win doubled South Carolina’s conference win total from last season.
• South Carolina has stepped up its outside game since SEC play began and has three players among the league’s top 10 3-point percentage shooters in the conference play.

Tennessee (18-2, 6-1) Notes

• Angie Bjorklund broke a shooting slump and scored 20 points as No. 5 Tennessee beat Auburn 85-56 on Thursday night.
• Glory Johnson scored 15 and grabbed 13 rebounds. Shekinna Stricklen added 17 points, and Alyssia Brewer had 11 points
• Tennessee comes back home with three road wins in conference play already when last year they only had two all season long.
• Fresh off its only SEC loss so far at Georgia last Thursday, Tennessee regrouped and pulled away down the stretch on the road against the Lady Tigers, who happened to be the coaches’ pick to finish second in the league.
• The Lady Vols have played 101 ranked opponents while they were the nation’s number one ranked team.