Gamecocks lose 11-point first half lead, fall in upset bid of Providence
Foul trouble and offensive lulls proved too much for South Carolina to overcome on Saturday.
Providence rallied from an 11-point first half deficit to beat the Gamecocks 76-67 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. USC (2-2) will now face George Washington (0-4) on Sunday in the consolation game of the Naismith Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. The Friars (3-1) get No. 18 Michigan in the championship.
PC went on a 22-8 run in the second half to begin to pull away from USC. The Gamecocks shot under 40 percent over the final 20 minutes as key veterans sat because of foul issues.
The Friars made more free throws (28 on 34 attempts) than South Carolina made field goals (25).
“In the second half, they just made free throws and we never took any,” Carolina coach Frank Martin said in a radio interview with the Gamecock Sports Network. “That was the difference in the game — free throw shooting.”
The Gamecocks went 11 of 14 from the line.
All-SEC forward Chris Silva continued a slow start to his senior season. He scored six points in just 13 minutes. He picked up his fourth foul with 12:28 left in the second half. His first field goal came with under four minutes left and with Carolina down nine. Five Gamecocks had at least four fouls, including starters A.J. Lawson, Justin Minaya and Maik Kotsar.
“Without Chris in the game,” Martin said, “we got nothing in the low-post from the other guys.”
It all ruined an encouraging beginning to the game. South Carolina led 35-24 with 25 seconds left in the first half when Keyshawn Bryant capped a 19-1 run with a couple free throws. The Gamecocks, effective in a 2-3 zone, held the Friars, a team coming off five straight NCAA Tournament appearances, without a field goal for a 7:07 stretch of the first half.
Hassani Gravett led Carolina with 14 points, but only four came after halftime. Providence got 20 points from freshman guard David Duke.
The Friars shot 52 percent in the second half.
Next game
Who: South Carolina vs. George Washington
When: 4 p.m.
Where: Mohegan Sun Arena
TV: ESPN 2
PROVIDENCE 76, SOUTH CAROLINA 67
SOUTH CAROLINA (2-2): Silva 1-2 4-4 6, Minaya 4-6 2-2 10, Kotsar 2-6 0-0 4, Lawson 4-12 1-4 10, Campbell 2-7 0-0 4, Cudd 0-0 0-0 0, Bryant 0-5 2-2 2, Haase 1-3 2-2 5, Gravett 6-11 0-0 14, Moss 5-10 0-0 12. Totals 25-62 11-14 67.
PROVIDENCE (3-1): Nichols 2-2 0-0 4, Young 1-4 1-1 3, Diallo 5-8 7-9 17, Duke 8-15 2-4 20, Reeves 2-7 5-5 10, Monroe 0-1 0-0 0, Holt 0-0 0-0 0, Watson 2-8 5-6 9, Ashton-Langford 1-3 2-2 4, Jackson 1-5 6-7 9, White 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 22-56 28-34 76.
Halftime—South Carolina 35-27. 3-Point Goals—South Carolina 6-25 (Gravett 2-5, Moss 2-5, Haase 1-2, Lawson 1-6, Silva 0-1, Minaya 0-1, Bryant 0-2, Campbell 0-3), Providence 4-13 (Duke 2-4, Reeves 1-3, Jackson 1-4, Watson 0-1, Ashton-Langford 0-1). Fouled Out—Minaya. Rebounds—South Carolina 31 (Gravett 7), Providence 32 (Diallo 9). Assists—South Carolina 8 (Lawson 3), Providence 13 (Diallo 7). Total Fouls—South Carolina 27, Providence 18. Technicals—South Carolina team. A—7,231 (9,323).
This story was originally published November 17, 2018 at 4:38 PM.