GAME #16: Ole Miss vs. South Carolina
January 20, 2008 2:00 p.m. CT
Oxford, Miss. Tad Smith Coliseum (8,700)
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OXFORD, Miss. On the heels of an important 63-55 win over Arkansas last Sunday afternoon in the SEC home opener, the Ole Miss women’s basketball team looks for its second consecutive conference victory when the Lady Rebels welcome South Carolina to Tad Smith Coliseum Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
The Lady Rebels (7-8, 1-1 SEC) used a dominating defensive effort in defeating the Lady Razorbacks by limiting Arkansas to just 18 points in the first half en route to their seventh straight win over the Lady Razorbacks. In addition, Ole Miss held the Arkansas bench to zero points in 39 minutes of action.
Individually, Ole Miss is led by junior center Shawn Goff’s 13.7 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game. Goff stands first on the team and 10th in the SEC in points per game, and second on the team and 13th in the conference in rebounding per game. The Tallahassee, Fla., native is averaging 17.5 points per game during SEC play. In addition, Goff ranks second in the SEC with 2.40 blocks per game. Goff will be matched up with the SEC’s leading shot blocker Sunday as South Carolina’s Lakesha Tolliver averages 2.50 blocks per game.
Lady Rebel senior forward Carla Bartee stands second on the team with 10.5 points per game to go along with a team-leading 8.7 rebounds per game. Not far behind, sophomore guard Shantell Black checks in with 10.4 assists per game to go along with a league-leading 5.93 assists per game.
South Carolina (11-6, 0-2 SEC) enters the weekend having dropped its first two SEC games of the season following losses at Alabama and home against second-ranked Tennessee. In the two games, the Gamecocks failed to score 55 points in either contest despite averaging 69.2 points per game as a team.
Freshman guard Jordan Jones paces the Gamecocks on the offensive end of the court as she turns in 12.6 points per game. Junior forward Demetress Adams is second on the team with 11.7 points per game and first on the team with 8.4 rebounds per game. Fellow junior Brionna Dickerson ranks third on the team with 10.9 points to round out the Gamecocks in double figures.
Ole Miss and South Carolina have played two common opponents this season outside the SEC. South Carolina dropped a 70-63 decision at home to Penn State in late November, while the Lady Rebels were defeated 84-77 on the Lady Lions’ home court in mid December. Both teams also faced Alabama A&M with Ole Miss claiming a 73-57 triumph before South Carolina posted a 88-41 win over the Bulldogs.
Ole Miss is 14-9 against South Carolina in the all-time series that dates back to the 1978-79 season. The Lady Rebels are 7-2 all-time against the Gamecocks in games played at Tad Smith Coliseum, including last year’s 76-57 victory. South Carolina’s last win in Oxford came Mar. 2, 2003 when the Gamecocks earned a 91-68 victory over Ole Miss. Overall, Ole Miss has won four of the last five meetings between the two schools.
