South Carolina’s Justin Minaya passes first postseason test

Twice on the right wing and once in the left corner. Off the final of his three touches, Justin Minaya ended South Carolina’s most important possession with a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer.

The 11th-seeded Gamecocks squeaked past No. 14 Ole Miss, 85-84, on Wednesday in the first round of the SEC tournament. Chris Silva, playing his first postseason game since last year’s national semifinal, recorded his ninth double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Frank Booker, once a contributor on a Sweet 16-bound Oklahoma team, also had 21 points.

Minaya’s 16 points and three assists, however, were delivered on his first step to the postseason stage. USC (17-15) likely isn’t into a Thursday second round matchup with sixth-seeded Arkansas (21-10) if the freshman doesn’t spark a second half rally against the Rebels (12-20).

“You definitely feel a lot more energy coming in before the game and stuff,” Minaya said. “It’s a lot different than regular season because you got to win and survive. That’s it. If you lose, it’s over with. So it was good to get a win.”

Carolina was trailing Ole Miss, 59-55, with 11 minutes to go when it turned a 30-second possession into a momentum-changer. Minaya, after passing off his first two touches, sprinted open to a corner, collected a whipped dish from Hassani Gravett, and buried a 3.

Gravett found Minaya 27 seconds later for another 3.

The sequence was part of a 13-2 run that gave the Gamecocks a lead they never returned.

“I was trying to get something going for the team,” Minaya said. “Just trying to bring some energy.”

Minaya’s rookie season has been very much that – ups and downs reflective of a first-year player in one of the nation’s best leagues. The 29-game starter entered the Scottrade Center coming off a 4-point performance at Auburn. He was six for his previous 31 from 3-point range.

Minaya on Wednesday confidently swished four of five attempts from deep. The 16 points are his most in over a month.

“I'm very proud of him,” Booker said. “He played his tail off. He hit those two 3s and energized us and got us going, offensively and defensively.

“So do I think he outplayed (himself)? No, because he was doing this at the beginning of the year. It's a good time to finally get back to who Justin is, getting rebounds and making shots. That's who he is.”

Minaya, a 6-foot-5, 210-pounder from New Jersey, added four rebounds. His two-way game will be crucial Thursday as the Gamecocks attempt to slow Arkansas’ All-SEC backcourt duo of Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford.

“They’re definitely tough players, for sure,” Minaya said. “If that’s my assignment, I got to do my best to guard them.”

Tip-off between Carolina and the Razorbacks is set for approximately 9:30 p.m. SEC Network will televise the game.

This story was originally published March 8, 2018 at 3:00 AM with the headline "South Carolina’s Justin Minaya passes first postseason test."