On the surface, No. 11 South Carolina’s meeting with Coastal Carolina looks like a break in the schedule between the end of SEC play and the annual battle with Clemson, but for a number of reasons, coach Steve Spurrier said he and his players have their eyes fixed straight ahead to Saturday’s game against the Chanticleers.
After opening the season with four consecutive home games, South Carolina women’s basketball is leaving the confines of Colonial Life Arena to embark on a three-game road trip.
Earlier this week, students got an email reminding us to request tickets for the remaining home games against Coastal Carolina and Clemson. In that same email, students were offered a chance to apply for discounted SEC Championship game tickets.
South Carolina’s men’s basketball team is off to a 1-2 start and will face coach Frank Martin’s alma mater, Florida International, Sunday at 1 p.m.
The volleyball team had a tough go of it this past weekend, dropping matches against Alabama (3-0) and undefeated No. 6 Missouri (3-0). Despite not winning a single set against the Crimson Tide, coach Scott Swanson’s team showed they still have some fight in them after losing the first two sets by only two points against a group that, on paper, was supposed to win anyways. Juliette Thévenin had another career day, recording her eighth double-double of the season with 18 kills and 11 blocks. Dessaa Legros added another 10 kills while Jacgy Angermiller did her part at the net, tallying four blocks on the day.
It looked like South Carolina women’s basketball team would face its first test of the season Sunday against Seton Hall. But a sluggish first half for the Gamecocks gave way to the dominant showing fans are used to, as South Carolina went on to win 88-67.
When junior keeper Sabrina D’Angelo was knocked over clearing a routine dump-in in the 14th minute, South Carolina hadn’t recorded a shot and the match had been played primarily in the Gamecocks’ defensive half. Despite the no-call, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year stood up quickly, as did the rest of her teammates.
It was not pretty for the Gamecocks in their 19-14 victory over Florida on Saturday, but it was enough for South Carolina to keep its SEC East hopes alive.
“Our defense was really sensational the second half,” coach Steve Spurrier said. “Our guys got tougher in the second half and shut Florida down pretty good.”
The 2013 season has been one full of suspense for the Gamecocks and the game against the Gators was no different.
When junior keeper Sabrina D’Angelo was knocked over clearing a routine dump-in in the 14th minute, South Carolina hadn’t recorded a shot and the match had been played primarily in the Gamecocks’ defensive half.
The crowd erupted as junior forward Aleighsa Welch rebounded a shot and quickly pushed the ball up the court to sophomore guard Asia Dozier, who nailed the three and put the Lady Gamecocks in a place they hadn’t been all game-the lead.
The injury bug that has plagued Florida this season hit its defense hard during this week when sophomore linebacker Antonio Morrison was ruled out for the year with a meniscus tear in his knee.
In the first half of the season, South Carolina’s defense gained a reputation for blowing leads and giving up yards in chunks. But the unit has made strides to repair its image by stringing together several consecutive solid outings.
1. How do you think Tyler Murphy has handled his unexpected role as a starting quarterback, and does his injury seem serious enough that he has a legitimate chance of not playing against South Carolina? If he can’t go, who will replace him?
Coming into the season, every Gamecock had circled two matchups on their calendar: this weekend’s with Florida and the annual rivalry game with Clemson.
The South Carolina men’s soccer team’s bid for an NCAA Tournament appearance fell short Tuesday when they lost 3-1 to sixth-seeded Tulsa.