Gamecocks Match Best Start of Staley Era with Win at Hampton

Article posted by South Carolina Gazette

COLUMBIA, S.C. - No. 1/1 South Carolina used a 19-5 run in the first half to pull away en route to a 69-49 win at Hampton Wednesday night. Junior Tiffany Mitchell matched her career high with six 3-pointers to finish with 20 points, while Alaina Coates posted her second-straight double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. With the win, the Gamecocks matched their best start under head coach Dawn Staley with their third-straight 10-0 start to the season.
Both teams were effective from outside early, but when the Gamecocks got more aggressive on the inside on both ends of the floor, they pulled away. Mitchell hit back-to-back 3s from the same spot on the right sideline in the opening minutes of the game to give the Gamecocks an 11-8 lead. After the Lady Pirates tied it up with a 3 from Kenia Cole, Mitchell hit again from the right sideline at the 13:42 mark for a 14-12 advantage that South Carolina would never relinquish.
The Gamecocks built their 13-point halftime lead behind a 19-4 surge midway through the first half. A'ja Wilson opened the run with a putback, and Bianca Cuevas turned an Alaina Coates block and Aleighsa Welch defensive rebound into a transition layup that sparked more up-tempo play. With Coates dominating the defensive glass and the Gamecock defense forcing the Lady Pirates into tough shots, the lead ballooned quickly. Wilson hit a pair of free throws, and Cuevas buried a deep baseline jumper. An offensive rebound extended the next possession, and Wilson made it a double-digit lead with a free-throw line jumper to make it a 24-14 game with 8:23 to play in the period.
Hampton's top scorer, Malia Tate-DeFreitas hit a 3 to interrupt the sweep, but the Gamecocks went right back to work with a free throw from Elem Ibiam and a putback from Khadijah Sessions. Tate-DeFreitas hit a pull-up jumper, and Mitchell answered with five straight points. Ibiam's free throw made it a 33-19 game with three minutes left in the half.
The second half began with much of the same, although the Lady Pirates coaxed the Gamecocks into a series of fouls that would not allow South Carolina to pull away.
The Gamecocks finished with four scoring in double figures as Cuevas netted a career-high 12 points and Wilson posted her ninth-straight double-digit game with 12 as well. South Carolina shot 47.4 percent (9-19) from 3-point range, and out-rebounded the Lady Pirates 48-21.

Cann Named Second Team AP All-American

Article posted by South Carolina Gazette
Columbia, SC--University of South Carolina senior offensive guard A.J. Cann earned second-team All-America honors according to the Associated Press, it was announced today.
Cann, a 6-4, 311-pounder from Bamberg, S.C., has been a four-year starter at guard for the Gamecocks. He has started 50 of the 51 games over the past four seasons, the second-most starts in Carolina history. A two-time captain, Cann helped lead a team that averaged over 33 points and 450 yards per game.
Since the regular season ended, Cann has been named first-team All-American by ESPN.com and CBSSportsline.com, was a second-team All-American by Walter Camp, and was a third-team selection by College Sports Madness.
Cann and his Gamecock teammates will travel to Shreveport to play Miami in the Duck Commander Independence Bowl on Saturday, December 27.

Efficient Offense Powers No. 1/1 Gamecocks Past Savannah State

Article posted by South Carolina Gazette

COLUMBIA, S.C. - No. 1/1 South Carolina showed little rust from its week-long exam break in a 111-49 win over Savannah State in the Gamecocks' final non-conference home game of the season, marking the most points scored in the Dawn Staley era. Senior Elem Ibiam poured in a career-high 21 points, including 12 in the first half and the first four of the second. South Carolina's defense forced 20 turnovers, including 11 steals to keep the Lady Tigers (4-3) from ever making a significant run.
Junior Tiffany Mitchell netted the team's first five points, but Savannah State turned a South Carolina offensive foul into back-to-back buckets to take a 6-5 lead. The Gamecocks turned up the defensive pressure, forcing turnovers on four of the Lady Tigers' next six possessions and limiting them to just one shot on the other two to prise open a 13-6 advantage seven minutes into the contest. Ibiam scored four points in the run with Khadijah Sessions kicking things off with a pair of free throws and Alaina Coates closing it with a putback.
Savannah State cut it to five, but Bianca Cuevas single-handedly shut the Lady Tigers down in the backcourt with steals on three of the next seven possessions, turning each into an easy basket. The pressure allowed the Gamecocks to built a 30-13 lead midway through the period. A 21-3 run ended the first half and sent the Gamecocks into the locker room with a 60-22 advantage and the fifth-most points in a first half in program history - the most of any half in the Dawn Staley era.
Six Gamecocks finished in double-figure points, including three with at least 20 points. It is South Carolina's first game with three 20-point scorers since Nov. 21, 2003, at Clemson. A'ja Wilson posted a team-high 23 points, the most of her young career, in just 21 minutes. Ibiam was similarly efficient with 21 points in 18 minutes. Coates rounded out the 20-point scorer with 20 and completed her fourth double-double of the season with 10 rebounds. Mitchell finished with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while Aleighsa Welch and Cuevas added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
South Carolina shot 58.5 percent from the field behind 23 assists, including a career-high 10 from Tina Roy. The last Gamecock to hand out at least 10 assists was Samone Kennedy at Florida on Feb. 24, 2008. South Carolina Head Coach Dawn Staley On the how well the offense played today...
"I thought we did a really good job at moving the ball and pushing the ball down the floor in transition. We got early entries into our post players and the defense didn't have a lot of time to set up. I thought we just did a great job at finding our post players. They were posting up and they were finishing. It's something we have not done extremely well the last couple of games, so it was good to see them getting some confidence and getting the ball."

Cann Named Second Team Walter Camp All-American

Article posted by South Carolina Gazette
Shrevport-The postseason accolades continue to pour in for University of South Carolina senior offensive guard A.J. Cann. Tonight, Cann was named to the Walter Camp All-America second-team unit.

Cann, a 6-4, 311-pounder from Bamberg, S.C., has been a four-year starter at guard for the Gamecocks. He has started 50 of the 51 games over the past four seasons, the second-most starts in Carolina history. A two-time captain, Cann helped lead a team that averaged over 33 points and 450 yards per game.

Cann was named to the first-team All-America squad by CBSSportsline.com on Wednesday. Earlier in the week, he garnered first-team All-SEC honors awarded by the league's 14 coaches, was a first-team All-SEC selection by College Sports Madness, and was a second-team All-SEC performer according to the Associated Press.

Cann and his Gamecock teammates will travel to Shreveport to play Miami in the Duck Commander Independence Bowl on Saturday, December 27. 

Gamecocks Dawn Staley Earns 300th career win

Article Posted by South Carolina Gazette Graphic Credit The University Of South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley notched her 300th career win as the No. 1/2 Gamecocks earned an 82-61 victory over Charlotte on Thursday night at Colonial Life Arena. Freshman A'ja Wilson led the Gamecocks with 17 points while Alaina Coates posted her third double-double of the season with 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Elem Ibiam scored six of the Gamecocks' first eight points, but the 49ers were on fire to start the game, hitting nine of their first 12 shots. The lights-out shooting helped Charlotte take a 17-16 lead eight minutes into the game after making three unanswered baskets.
Trailing 19-18, the Gamecocks got back on top thanks to a four-point possession. Coates hit the first of two free throws and Tiffany Mitchell snared the rebound then set up Tina Roy for a 3. The four points gave South Carolina a 23-19 lead and the momentum.
The Gamecock defense locked down over the last eight minutes of the half, holding Charlotte to just 1-of-15 from the field during the span to build a 20-4 run. Scoring came from six different Gamecocks, highlighted by eight points from Coates and seven from Mitchell, including a 3 from the corner, and South Carolina took a 46-28 lead into the locker room.
Out of the break, the 49ers' shots were falling again. After sinking its first six attempts, Charlotte pulled to within 13 with 15 minutes to play at 55-42, but they would get no closer after Wilson hit back-to-back buckets and Roy's 3 opened up the inside game again, where Ibiam capitalized.
For the second-straight contest, four Gamecocks reached double figures. In addition to Wilson and Coates, Ibiam added a season-high16 points while Aleighsa Welch narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. South Carolina Head Coach Dawn Staley said,"I think it's (her 300th career win) great. I think you can kind of reflect on all the players who have been in your program, but it happened in the middle of a tough, tough week. But I'm happy. I'm happy to share the moment with our coaching staff and our players. I'm just looking for 301 at this point."In their first true road game of the season, the Gamecocks face No. 9/8 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. This game will be nationally televised. Check your local listings for time and channel.

FORMER LADY BULLDOG TO PLAY IN FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFYING GAME

Article by Karen M. Carty 
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago – Former South Carolina State women's soccer player Janine Francois will take the field tonight as her country, Trinidad and Tobago, hopes to defeat Ecuador to earn the final spot in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Francois was a four-year starting midfielder for the Lady Bulldogs from 2006-2009. She played for the Trinidad and Tobago National Team prior to attending SC State and rejoined the team after graduation.
 
After finishing fourth in the CONCACAF Women's Championship played last month in the United States, Trinidad missed out on automatic qualification for the Women's World Cup. Trinidad is aiming to become the first team from the Caribbean to qualify for the 24-team Women's World Cup.
 
When asked about the importance of the game against Ecuador, Francois said, "It's an extremely important game. If we win, we will get to play in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada."

Being a part of the Women's National Team holds additional importance for Francois because success on the field impacts the creation and development of athletic programs for youth in her community. "Our success is also important because it represents change and will help to develop the youth athletic programs in Trinidad", Francois said.
 
What makes Francois able to fully commit to succeeding on the field is that she absolutely loves playing soccer. "Being able to represent Trinidad by being on the National Team means the world to me. I'm living my dream. I get to travel, play all over the world, and see different cultures. There's nothing like living your dream and doing what you love."
 
Current SC State head women's soccer coach Sandy Burris coached Francois in 2008 and 2009 and had this to say: "We are excited for Jan as she goes out to represent her country and SC State in the FIFA qualifying game. She is a great leader, an extremely hard worker and just an awesome player."