Technically, the Southeastern Conference Tournament is not post-season play. However, the regular season is over and seedings were based on the results--so I'm including it here.
The Gamecocks opened the SEC tournament against #12 seed Ole Miss, a team they had beaten by 5 points, in overtime, on the Rebels' home court in January. This game was not so tight; after the opening minutes, when Ole Miss scored the first 4 points, the Gamecocks took control of the game and picked up a 62-50 win.
Three Gamecocks fell just short of double-doubles: Ieasisa Walker (15 points, 9 rebounds), junior guard Markesia Grant (13 points, 9 rebounds) and Jewel May (8 points, 9 rebounds). The victory advanced USC to the second round of the conference tournament for a third meeting with the #4 seed Georgia Bulldogs. The two teams split during the regular season, each team winning at home.
However, the third time was NOT the charm. The Gamecocks struggled to score early and the Bulldogs dominated on the boards to take a 33-19 halftime lead. After the break, little changed and Georgia pounded the Gamecocks 66-34, leaving South Carolina with 10 days to speculate about their prospects for post-season tournament play.
When March 14 rolled around, it was no surprise that the Gamecocks were left out of the NCAA tournament field, thanks to their late-season collapse against SEC teams of similar ability and subsequent lackluster performance in bowing out of the SEC tournament, as well. They did, however, receive a bid to the Women's National Invitational Tournament and a chance to host a first-round game against Appalachian State University.
Against the Mountaineers, the Gamecocks started slowly--but kept pace thanks to the efforts of players off the bench, who accounted for 39 of the points for the game. Holding only a 4-point lead at the half, USC responded to each Mountaineer surge with defensive energy that led to scoring opportunities. The 67-54 victory earned the Gamecocks another chance to host in the second round, where they met the Atlantic-10's 3rd place finisher (in a 5-way tie of 9-5 teams) the Charlotte 49ers, 27-10.
The Gamecocks played hard, all game long against the 49ers, but to no avail. The 49er team pretty much dominated the USC team, taking a 32-24 advantage in to halftime and extending their lead to 19 points with 8 minutes left in the game. While the Gamecocks were able to cut into the lead, they never seriously challenged Charlotte for the win and fell 57-69 to end the season.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
2010-2011 Season Review: Part Two
The Gamecocks began their conference season on the road at Georgia. The Gamecocks played a masterful second half, dominating the Bulldogs--but it was not enough to overcome the 23-point hole they had dug for themselves in the first half. The Georgia team won 61-51.
Back home, USC beat LSU in a close contest, 63-61, again rallying from an early deficit of 18 points. The following home game, against Florida, was another close one but with a different result as the Gators took advantage of sloppy play in the final minute, stealing a lazy pass for a layup and a foul shot that provided the margin of victory, 65-63.
On the road again, the Gamecocks had 28 turnovers against the Kentucky Wildcats and lost 48-66.
The first road win came 3 days later, as the Gamecocks clawed out a 63-58 overtime win against Ole Miss. The next home game was against #5/6 Tennessee, who toyed with the Gamecocks before turning up the pressure with 5 miutes left in the game and extending their 5-point lead to the 15-point margin of victory, 71-56.
Alabama was next on the schedule. Senior forward Jewel May led the way with a double-double, 11 points and 11 rebounds and the Gamecocks prevailed 59-48. Georgia came to town for a rematch, 4 days later and were surprised to leave with their first SEC loss of the season, 57-48, thanks largely to the shooting of senior guard Courtney Newton, who scored 16 points on 5-5 shooting from 3-point range. With the win, USC evened it's conference record at 4-4.
The final game of January was at Auburn and the Tigers led most of the way. Though they faltered in the second half, the Gamecocks failed to capitalize on their own opportunities and the Tigers closed it out for a 54-47 win.
February found USC at 4-5 in conference play and headed back on the road to Arkansas, where they kept their cool during a wild overtime period to claim a 64-62 win. Returning to the friendly confines of the Colonial Center, the Gamecocks hosted #15/18 Kentucky and played an extremely solid game, resulting in a 66-61 win over the Wildcats. On the road at Mississippi State, the Gamecocks fought back from an 8-point deficit and delivered their third straight win 60-53. A trip to #4 Tennessee followed and the USC team hung tought until about halfway through the second half, when the Lady Vols surged to a 20-point lead and cruised to a 82-60 win. The bright spot? The Gamecocks were now 7-6 in the SEC with 3 games left to play, all against beatable teams that were also looking to improve their seeding for the upcoming conference tournament--making each game very meaningful.
The Gamecocks beat Auburn fairly easily, 65-49, to go to 8-6 in the SEC and set Gamecocks' fans imaginations whirling with the possibilities: a Top Four finish in the conference, which would mean a first-round bye in the SEC tournament. There was also widespread talk of how 1-2 wins in the tournament would affect the chances of an NCAA bid--lots of fans were counting their chickens (so to speak) before they hatched. Considering that both of the final 2 opponenets on the schedule (LSU, at LSU and Vanderbilt, at USC) were also eyeing that #4 seed, combined with the Gamecocks' erratic play over the year, it was pretty loose talk. And alas, the worst came to pass. In Baton Rouge, the Gamecocks' inability to hit clutch free throws cost them a 54-51 overtime loss to the Bayou Bengals. The final game of the regular season was Senior Day in Columbia: seniors Jewel May and Valerie Nainima were honored before the game; senior point guard Samone Kennedy was not. She had been dismissed from the team a week or so prior to the final game. The Gamecocks took the Commodores to overtime in a heated (and in my opinion, poorly officiated) game, only to lose by 14, 60-74, when they went completely cold in the extra period.
The Gamecocks ended regular season play with a 16-13 record, 8-8 in the SEC. The team tied for 5th place in the conference, earning the #5 seed in the conference tournament by beating out both LSU and Auburn through the tie-breaker process.
Back home, USC beat LSU in a close contest, 63-61, again rallying from an early deficit of 18 points. The following home game, against Florida, was another close one but with a different result as the Gators took advantage of sloppy play in the final minute, stealing a lazy pass for a layup and a foul shot that provided the margin of victory, 65-63.
On the road again, the Gamecocks had 28 turnovers against the Kentucky Wildcats and lost 48-66.
The first road win came 3 days later, as the Gamecocks clawed out a 63-58 overtime win against Ole Miss. The next home game was against #5/6 Tennessee, who toyed with the Gamecocks before turning up the pressure with 5 miutes left in the game and extending their 5-point lead to the 15-point margin of victory, 71-56.
Alabama was next on the schedule. Senior forward Jewel May led the way with a double-double, 11 points and 11 rebounds and the Gamecocks prevailed 59-48. Georgia came to town for a rematch, 4 days later and were surprised to leave with their first SEC loss of the season, 57-48, thanks largely to the shooting of senior guard Courtney Newton, who scored 16 points on 5-5 shooting from 3-point range. With the win, USC evened it's conference record at 4-4.
The final game of January was at Auburn and the Tigers led most of the way. Though they faltered in the second half, the Gamecocks failed to capitalize on their own opportunities and the Tigers closed it out for a 54-47 win.
February found USC at 4-5 in conference play and headed back on the road to Arkansas, where they kept their cool during a wild overtime period to claim a 64-62 win. Returning to the friendly confines of the Colonial Center, the Gamecocks hosted #15/18 Kentucky and played an extremely solid game, resulting in a 66-61 win over the Wildcats. On the road at Mississippi State, the Gamecocks fought back from an 8-point deficit and delivered their third straight win 60-53. A trip to #4 Tennessee followed and the USC team hung tought until about halfway through the second half, when the Lady Vols surged to a 20-point lead and cruised to a 82-60 win. The bright spot? The Gamecocks were now 7-6 in the SEC with 3 games left to play, all against beatable teams that were also looking to improve their seeding for the upcoming conference tournament--making each game very meaningful.
The Gamecocks beat Auburn fairly easily, 65-49, to go to 8-6 in the SEC and set Gamecocks' fans imaginations whirling with the possibilities: a Top Four finish in the conference, which would mean a first-round bye in the SEC tournament. There was also widespread talk of how 1-2 wins in the tournament would affect the chances of an NCAA bid--lots of fans were counting their chickens (so to speak) before they hatched. Considering that both of the final 2 opponenets on the schedule (LSU, at LSU and Vanderbilt, at USC) were also eyeing that #4 seed, combined with the Gamecocks' erratic play over the year, it was pretty loose talk. And alas, the worst came to pass. In Baton Rouge, the Gamecocks' inability to hit clutch free throws cost them a 54-51 overtime loss to the Bayou Bengals. The final game of the regular season was Senior Day in Columbia: seniors Jewel May and Valerie Nainima were honored before the game; senior point guard Samone Kennedy was not. She had been dismissed from the team a week or so prior to the final game. The Gamecocks took the Commodores to overtime in a heated (and in my opinion, poorly officiated) game, only to lose by 14, 60-74, when they went completely cold in the extra period.
The Gamecocks ended regular season play with a 16-13 record, 8-8 in the SEC. The team tied for 5th place in the conference, earning the #5 seed in the conference tournament by beating out both LSU and Auburn through the tie-breaker process.
Friday, April 22, 2011
The 2010-2011 Season in Review (part one)
The 2010-2011 season was an up-and-down affair for the University of South Carolina women's basketball team. Having lost their franchise player (who will not be named) to transfer, the team was a solar system without the sun. Quick, energetic guards were in abundance, along with a few good supporting-cast post players, but the center was missing. It was a given that they would need some time to establish a new identity--especially after scheduling some top teams for the non-conference season.
During November, the Gamecocks went 2-4. They beat Illinois and in-state arch-rival Clemson handily, after a home-opening loss to #5/6 Xavier, then lost 3 in a row on an extended road trip: a stomping at Penn State (48-78), another at #3/2 Stanford (32-70) and a collapse at UC-Davis. The Gamecocks lost that one 52-61, after having held a 16-point lead at the half.
Things looked grim.
The upside was that sophomore forward Ashley Bruner got the first two double-doubles of her career during that span, sophomore point guard Ieasia Walker set a career scoring high with 30 points and junior guard Marah Strickland showed off her shooting skills with 19 points (5-11 from 3-point range) against UC-Davis.
December got off to a great start, beating Charleston Southern, Savannah State and the NC State Wolfpack, in succession. The NC State game was the best effort of the year, as the Gamecocks attacked on both ends of the floor and looked confident in beating a fairly decent Atlantic Coast Conference team, 77-63. Senior guard Valerie Nainima returned from an ACL injury for that game and had 8 points, 3 assists and 2 steals in only 12 minutes of play.
This was also USC's first game since freshman post player Kayla Brewer (heir-apparent to She Who Will Not Be Named) announced that she was leaving the team and would transfer schools.
Brewer's defection behind them, the Gamecocks went on the road again in Myrtle Beach to face the #10 Tarheels in the Carolinas Classic. The Gamecocks were more or less overwhelmed by the very tall, very fast (and very rough) North Carolina team. The Gamecocks played very tough--bodies flying every which way--but a scoring binge near the end of the first half gave the 'Heels a 41-27 lead at the half and they never relinquished it, winning 75-51.
Home again, the Gamecocks reeled off 3 more (expected) wins in a row against Butler (67-54), Presbyterian (68-40) and SC State (63-44) to close out both 2010 and the non-conference season with an overall record of 8-5.
In summary, in 2010 the Gamecocks mostly beat the teams that they should have beaten, had a couple of loose performances that could have (maybe should have) resulted in wins and lost to all of the nationally ranked teams on their schedule--not unexpectedly, but not the best omen when you play in the Southeastern Conference, where you know you will be playing more ranked teams during conference play.
During November, the Gamecocks went 2-4. They beat Illinois and in-state arch-rival Clemson handily, after a home-opening loss to #5/6 Xavier, then lost 3 in a row on an extended road trip: a stomping at Penn State (48-78), another at #3/2 Stanford (32-70) and a collapse at UC-Davis. The Gamecocks lost that one 52-61, after having held a 16-point lead at the half.
Things looked grim.
The upside was that sophomore forward Ashley Bruner got the first two double-doubles of her career during that span, sophomore point guard Ieasia Walker set a career scoring high with 30 points and junior guard Marah Strickland showed off her shooting skills with 19 points (5-11 from 3-point range) against UC-Davis.
December got off to a great start, beating Charleston Southern, Savannah State and the NC State Wolfpack, in succession. The NC State game was the best effort of the year, as the Gamecocks attacked on both ends of the floor and looked confident in beating a fairly decent Atlantic Coast Conference team, 77-63. Senior guard Valerie Nainima returned from an ACL injury for that game and had 8 points, 3 assists and 2 steals in only 12 minutes of play.
This was also USC's first game since freshman post player Kayla Brewer (heir-apparent to She Who Will Not Be Named) announced that she was leaving the team and would transfer schools.
Brewer's defection behind them, the Gamecocks went on the road again in Myrtle Beach to face the #10 Tarheels in the Carolinas Classic. The Gamecocks were more or less overwhelmed by the very tall, very fast (and very rough) North Carolina team. The Gamecocks played very tough--bodies flying every which way--but a scoring binge near the end of the first half gave the 'Heels a 41-27 lead at the half and they never relinquished it, winning 75-51.
Home again, the Gamecocks reeled off 3 more (expected) wins in a row against Butler (67-54), Presbyterian (68-40) and SC State (63-44) to close out both 2010 and the non-conference season with an overall record of 8-5.
In summary, in 2010 the Gamecocks mostly beat the teams that they should have beaten, had a couple of loose performances that could have (maybe should have) resulted in wins and lost to all of the nationally ranked teams on their schedule--not unexpectedly, but not the best omen when you play in the Southeastern Conference, where you know you will be playing more ranked teams during conference play.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Welcome to Technical Fowl
I hope to take up where I left off with writing for the website secwb.com. After a little more than 2 years at that site, covering the University of South Carolina women's basketball team, Southeastern Conference women's basketball and Division I basketball in general, I took last season (2010-2011) off. Between computer issues, work issues (I do have a 40+ hour per week "day job") and website issues, it was time for a rest. That site never did attract enough writers to cover all of the teams in the conference and was not being updated on a regular basis, by the end of the 2010 season--so I've decided to strike out on my own, at least for now. I anticipate trying to post something once a week (off-season) just to get back into the habit of writing regularly.
It is no coincidence that I've started during the off-season. I hope to start slowly and pick up speed as the 2011-2012 season approaches. As I did at SECWB.com, the plan is to cover whatever news I can dig up, recruiting, pre-game analysis of upcoming contests, post-game wrap-ups and opinion pieces pretty much whenever I feel like it and/or have something to say.
It is no coincidence that I've started during the off-season. I hope to start slowly and pick up speed as the 2011-2012 season approaches. As I did at SECWB.com, the plan is to cover whatever news I can dig up, recruiting, pre-game analysis of upcoming contests, post-game wrap-ups and opinion pieces pretty much whenever I feel like it and/or have something to say.
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