Shawntinice Polk paced Arizona with 29 points and 11 rebounds.

Augustus, who had 15 first-half points on 7-of-10 shooting, hit a jumper and then a fadeaway shot from the corner to give LSU a 71-69 lead with two minutes remaining in overtime. Then she set up Doneeka Hodges on a two-on-one break to give the Tigers a 73-69 bulge.

Augustus sealed the game with a pair of free throws in the final minute.

Augustus, a former Parade and McDonald's All-American from Capitol High School in Baton Rouge, La., finished 12-of-17 from the field and also grabbed eight rebounds.

A jumper by the Wildcats' Dee-Dee Wheeler forced overtime at 65 although a 30-foot shot by LSU's Aiysha Smith at the buzzer bounced off the rim.

The Tigers led 38-32 at halftime before Arizona rallied to take a 65-61 lead with 5:33 left.

South Carolina 72, Clemson 58

By JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press Writer

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Every opening night needs a star, and South Carolina's Cristina Ciocan decided to take the spotlight at Friday night's debut of the new Carolina Center.

Ciocan scored a career-high 23 points as the Gamecocks opened their new arena and snapped a seven-game losing streak over Clemson with a 72-58 win in front of 17,712 fans. It was not only a new record for South Carolina women's basketball, but also the largest crowd ever for any basketball game in the state.

"They were awesome," Ciocan said of the fans. "It was unbelievable. It gave me goose bumps."

Joscelyn Penn scored the arena's first basket with 19:20 left, and also ended up with 23 points. But Clemson coach Jim Davis said all he seemed to notice was Ciocan.

"I thought she was in total control of the basketball game from the opening tip to the final whistle," Davis said.

Chrissy Floyd and Lakeia Stokes each led the Tigers with 13 points apiece. Khaili Sanders had nine rebounds for Clemson.

Gamecocks led by double-digits for most of the game, but the crowd was silenced when the Tigers cut South Carolina's lead to seven at 46-39 with 13 minutes left. But Ciocan and freshman Sarah Burgess led the Gamecocks on a 13-2 run over the next 3 1/2 minutes.

The run started on Ciocan's driving layup. Burgess then hit a 3-pointer. Following a quick bucket by Clemson's Julie Aderhold, Burgess drove the lane and was fouled as she made a lay-up. Burgess grinned as the crowd roared.

By the time the Tigers' Tabitha Vasilas hit a 3-pointer to stop the run with 9:25 left, the Gamecocks led by 15 at 59-44.

Clemson would cut the lead back down to nine on Amanda White's basket with 6:03 left, but Petra Ujhelyi drove down the lane to put the Gamecocks back up by 11. She then blocked a Tiger shot on the other end.

Ujhelyi ended the game with 12 rebounds and four points, and also had her own Carolina Center first, becoming the first player to foul out.

Ciocan's big night came after an off-season when coach Susan Walvius told the junior, who averaged just 6.7 points a game last year, that she would have to take up a good part of the scoring load.

Ciocan responded by showing great range, going 3-for-5 from behind the arc and 8-of-12 overall. She didn't forget how to dish the ball either, ending up with a team-high six assists.

"I think Cristina is the best point guard in the country," Walvius said.

South Carolina opened the arena on a 25-10 run, forcing 10 Clemson turnovers in the first nine minutes and never letting the Tigers take the lead.

But the Tigers' Lakeia Stokes scored eight of her 11 first-half points in the last 10 minutes of the first half to keep Clemson in the game. The Tigers trailed 36-24 at the break.

Davis joked that agreeing to be the opening opponent at the Carolina Center might have been a mistake.

"I was hoping my girls would be good enough to bail me out," Davis said.

But Davis said the record-setting crowd would be a big step toward gaining a greater fan base for women's sports throughout the state.

Alabama 68, Samford 46
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Alabama women's basketball team battled opening night jitters but in the end proved too strong for the Samford Bulldogs earning a 68-46 victory at Seibert Hall on Friday night.

The win marked the sixth consecutive season debut victory for the Crimson Tide and the third year in a row that Bama has defeated Samford in the opening game. Alabama is now 23-6 all-time in season opening contests.

"I don't want to complain about getting a win," said 14th-year UA head coach Rick Moody, "Because we are always glad when we get one. However, we have got to play with more poise and have better execution. It was obvious tonight that Samford played very well, especially on the defensive end. Coach Morris had his team much more mentally prepared to play than I did."

Both teams struggled offensively in the opening half as Alabama connected on just 35 percent from the field while Samford hit at just a 17.4 percent pace. The difference in the first was the Tide's work on the glass as Bama out-rebounded the Bulldogs 23-15 including seven offensive boards. UA used an 11-2 run over the final five minutes of the opening period to take a 29-16 lead at the half.

The Crimson Tide scored the first seven points of the second half to push their lead to 20 points at 36-16. Samford ran off six straight points midway through the period to trim the Bama margin before Jamilah Johns scored six points of her own to again widen the UA lead. The Bulldogs could get no closer in the waning moments as Alabama held on for the 22-point victory.

Johns, the tallest player on the floor at 6-4, dominated play in the paint posting a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Johns and fellow post player Natasha Gamble with nine points and nine rebounds helped lead the Tide to a 30-6 margin for points in the paint.

Alabama finished the game with a 41-31 edge in rebounding and shot a solid 43.6 percent from the floor for the game including a 51.9 percent performance in the second half. Nine different players scored for the Tide and Bama hit 4 of 11 three-point attempts with Oreal Taylor and Gamble both connecting on their first career treys.

Bama freshmen Dee Merriweather (5 points) and Lauren Hill (2 points) both scored in the collegiate debuts and junior Manisha Redus had eight points, four assists and three steals in her first game as the Tide's starting point guard.

Giovanni Price led the Bulldog offense with 12 points and the only Samford player in double figures.

Alabama returns to action on Tuesday night when the Tide welcomes Birmingham Southern to Coleman Coliseum for their home opener of the 2002-03 season. UA and BSC tip off at 7 p.m.

Auburn 69, Troy State 38
AUBURN, Ala. -- The Auburn women's basketball team (1-0) outscored Troy State 42-15 in the second half to win its first regular season game of the year 69-38, Friday at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. The Tigers' Le'Coe Willingham led the way with a double-double including 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Two other Auburn players were in double-figure scoring; Natasha Brackett had 12 points to go along with a team high six assists, and freshman Marita Payne also scored 12 points to go along with eight rebounds.

"We had a good defensive scheme in tonight's game," head coach Joe Ciampi said. "I felt like the defense found a personality. We were able to take away their inside passing game. Le'Coe Willingham had 14 rebounds tonight, which should give her tremendous confidence."

After leading by only four at halftime, 27-23, the Tigers went on a 17-3 run to open the second-half. Auburn led by as many as 33 before the final was settled at 69-38. The Tigers shot 40 percent from the field for the game and held the Trojans to only 30 percent shooting. The Auburn defense also forced 26 turnovers.

Perhaps the most prominent factor in the game, however, was team rebounding as the Tigers out-rebounded the Lady Trojans 49-to-26. Offensively, Auburn picked up 19 rebounds as compared to Troy State's five.

With the Tigers' 69-38 win over Troy State, Auburn extends its opening night game win streak to 22 dating back to the 1981-82 season. Auburn also improves its' all-time record against Troy State to 29-2.

"We came out in the second half more energized," Brackett said. "He (Ciampi) wasn't upset with us, he just wanted us to pick up the intensity. We picked it up in the second half. This year we are underestimated and nothing much is expected of us, but our mission is to show people what we can do."

Next up for Auburn will be Prairie View on Monday at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Georgia 79, Chattanooga 58
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The No. 8-ranked Georgia Lady Bulldogs used an 8-0 run early in the second-half en route to securing a 79-58 win over Chattanooga before 4,073 fans at McKenzie Arena on Friday night.

"I thought the effort was good," head coach Andy Landers said. "When we played within ourselves and executed what we were trying to do, we did some very good things. We had some breakdowns in our decision-making at times, though. We played defense about like I thought we would. We have a long way to go. Overall, I'm very pleased. This was a great, great way to start the season."

The Lady Dogs led by double-digits most of the first half before the Lady Mocs closed to within eight points at the break. After Chattanooga trimmed the lead to six early in the second stanza, a pair of steals by freshman Sherill Baker keyed the decisive run which gave Georgia command.

Christi Thomas posted game-highs of 23 points, eight rebounds and three blocks to pace the Lady Dogs.Thomas hit 10-of-12 field goals. Mary Beth Lycett chipped in 17 points, while Kara Braxton and Ebony Felder added 11 and 10, respectively. Senior Tina Taylor dished out six assists to no turnovers.

Freshman Katasha Brown led UTC with 18 points.

The Lady Bulldogs started the game quickly and opened up a nine-point, 16-7 lead with 15:28 left in the first half when Alexis Kendrick connected on two free throw attempts. The lead topped out a 15 points at 37-22 on a short jumper by Lycett with 5:43 remaining in the period. After the teams traded buckets, the Lady Mocs closed the half on a 7-0 run to slice the margin to 39-31 at intermission.

Thomas and Braxton took over early in the second stanza. Georgia's tandem of 6-6 and 6-5 overpowered Chattanooga, scoring 10 of the Lady Dogs' first 12 points in the half. Baker recorded steals on consecutive possession and Georgia knocked down a couple of layups. She finished the game with five thefts.

Georgia connected on 55.2 percent of its field goals and out-rebounded Chattanooga, an NCAA Tournament team each of the past two years, 40-32.

The Lady Bulldogs will return to action next Wednesday when they travel to Atlanta to face Georgia State at 4 p.m. Georgia will play its first four games on the road before hosting UCLA on Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. in Stegeman Coliseum.

Florida 91, Lamar 42
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Carolyn Peck's coaching debut at the University of Florida was a resounding success, as the Gators cruised to a season-opening 91-42 win over Lamar University. UF freshman Bernice Mosby (Brooksville, Fla.) scored a game-high 25 points in her collegiate debut Friday night in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, leading six Gators who scored in double figures.

Peck's young Gators held Lamar scoreless until 15:42 of the opening half, jumping out to a 13-0 lead, before using a 17-0 run in each period to dominate the Cardinals in every phase of the game. UF outrebounded Lamar 52-31 during the game, forced 24 Lady Cardinal turnovers and held Lamar to just 26.5 percent shooting, including a 24.0 percent effort in the second half, when the Gators outscored LU 41-17.

"It's a great win, great team effort," Peck said. "(Our players) went out and executed, they were very focused. Everyone stepped out onto the floor and did some really nice things. They came out and played with a lot of attitude and a lot of energy on the floor. I think that's important for this team to have success."

The Gators controlled most of the game, including five spans where they held Lamar scoreless for four minutes or more, including two periods that lasted longer than six minutes.

"I think the defense started with Sarah Lowe (Wynnewood, Pa.) picking up the ball early," Peck said. "Everyone picked up all the way though. I challenged this team. I thought this was a big challenge to hold a team to 40 points."

Lowe, one of five freshmen on the team, scored 12 points, dished six assists, collected six steals and committed just one turnover in 30 minutes of action.

Junior All-American Vanessa Hayden (Orlando, Fla.) pounded on both sides of the ball, pulling down her 27th career double-double with 10 points and 16 rebounds and blocked two shots, extending her streak to 47 consecutive games with at least one swat.

Freshman forward Brittany Davis (Gainesville, Fla.) added 10 points in her first college game to combine with the four other first-year Gators for 50 of UF's 91 points.

"The contribution our players are giving us, that are freshmen, they're not playing that way," Peck said. "They're playing very experienced, they're playing very hungry and they're going out playing extremely hard."

Mosby sank a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the first half for Florida's final score heading into the locker room, to put the Gators up 50-23. Ten of Lamar's 25 points in the first half came from the free throw line, as the Lady Cardinals shot just 7-of-24 from the floor and 1-of-5 from the arc.

Florida plays host to South Florida on Sunday, November 24th at 1 p.m. in the first part of a Gator basketball double-header. Fans will need a men's game ticket for admission to the women's game. The Bulls lost their season opener on Friday to Miami in Coral Gables 60-49.

Mississippi State 76, Cincinnati 70
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Homestanding and 20th-ranked Mississippi State (3-1) fought off a 31.4 percent first half shooting effort with a 63 percent showing in the second half as the Lady Bulldogs knocked off 18th-ranked Cincinnati (0-1), 76-70, Friday evening in Humphrey Coliseum.

LaToya Thomas scored 24 of her game-high 36 points in the second half and tallied 10 rebounds to record the 38th double-double performance of her career. Tan White was MSU's only other scorer in double digits, collecting 17 points and turning in four assists. Valerie King paced the Bearcats with 27 points, including a 5-for-8 night from beyond the arc.

The Lady Bulldogs hit a season-best 92.3 percent from the charity stripe, led by Thomas' 12-for-13 effort. State also out-rebounded the Bearcats 38-20, including a 20-5 advantage in offensive boards. Mississippi State got 10 points from its bench, eight of which came from the hands of Mamie McKinney, while five players that came off Cincinnati's bench combined for just one shot and no points.

"You have to communicate to win," said Mississippi State head coach Sharon Fanning. "We found a way to win and we did it together. We got to the free throw line and we continued to rebound."

Mississippi State scored six of the second half's first eight points to tie the score for the first time since tipoff on Thomas' layup with 17 minutes left, then took the lead for the first time on a pair of Rebecca Kates free throws 26 seconds later. State stretched its lead to as much as seven on two separate occasions midway through the period, then saw its lead dwindle to one on King's free throws with 3:51 left. The Bearcats made a run down the stretch, however, and had its chances, but key turnovers by King, as well as Meghan Hillman, sealed the Bearcats' fate.

Mississippi State started the game stone cold, shooting just 20 percent through the first 12 minutes of play as Cincinnati forged a 14-point lead, 24-10, on K.B. Sharp's jumper with 8:17 remaining. But the Lady Bulldogs responded with a 15-2 run that lasted much of the next five and a half minutes and cut MSUšs deficit to just one, 26-25, on Thomas' layup with 3:01 left.

"They did a really good job of changing up their defense on us and it gave us problems," said Cincinnati head coach Laurie Pirtle. "We became an undisciplined team which is a credit to MSU's defense.

"Their two players, Thomas and White, stepped up and carried the team. They won the game and they deserved the game."

The Lady Bulldogs will return to action on Wednesday when the Maroon and White begin a seven-game year-ending roadtrip at Houston. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m. at Guy V. Lewis Court at Hofheinz Pavilion on the campus of the University of Houston.