Nov. 18, 2005

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - After a layup by Western Carolina's David Berghoefer cut WCU's deficit to six (39-33) with 16:45 left in the game, South Carolina went on an 18-7 run to race out to a 17-point lead and cruise the final 10 minutes for an 87-62 victory Friday night at the Ramsey Activity Center. The game was the season opener for South Carolina (1-0), while the Catamounts fell to 1-3 on the young season.

The game was similar to last year's meeting between the schools as the Gamecocks went on a 17-0 run midway through the second half in Columbia to open the 2004-05 season with a win.

Tre Kelly led South Carolina's second-half spurt, scoring nine points over the 18-4 run. Dwayne Day, who only scored two first-half points, drained 4-of-5 of his 3-pointers in the second half, including trey to give the Gamecocks their largest lead of 29 points with 5:20 left to play.

Western, playing its 2005-06 home opener before a crowd of 2,984, hung tough throughout the first half, trailing by five (34-29) at the break. The Catamounts scored first, a jumper by Corey Muirhead, only to have South Carolina's Tarence Kinsey answer with a 3-pointer. That shot gave the Gamecocks a 3-2 lead, one they would not relinquish the remainder of the game.

However, Western would trail by no more than eight in the first 20 minutes. With 2:15 left before halftime, Antonio Russell and Kyle Greathouse hit back-to-back 3-pointers for the Cats, trimming their deficit to one. Renaldo Balkman and Kinsey hit three free throws inside the 1:19 to provide the five-point lead at intermission.

Kelley opened the scoring in the second half with a 3-pointer and Russell answered with a pair of free throws. Kinsey and Berghoefer traded layups on the ensuing possessions, setting up South Carolina's game-deciding, 18-7 run.

South Carolina did not look like a team playing its first game of the season. After Western held its first three opponents to just 3.5 percent shooting, the Gamecocks blistered the nets at a 60.8 percent clip. The percentage was bolstered by USC making 8-of-11 3-point attempts in the second half. The Catamounts, who only made 33.8 percent of their shots in their first three games, improved in its fourth game to shoot 46.5 percent from the field.

In addition to Day's 18 points, Kelley scored 15, followed by Kinsey's 14 and Balkman's 11. Balkman also led USC with six rebounds. For the Catamounts, Russell, who had five rebounds, led all scorers with 19 points, making 6-of-9 shots overall and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Berghoefer added 12 points and five boards.

Western Carolina will return to action Sunday (Nov. 20), playing the second game of the Two Rivers Shootout. The Cats will face Northern Iowa, who was ranked 17th in Sports Illustrated's preseason poll and return five starters from its NCAA team a year ago. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 pm (CT), which 7:30 on the east coast, and the game will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network.