Rivalry rock fight: South Carolina outlasts Clemson, snaps series skid
It was 10 days before Christmas and all South Carolina and Clemson wanted was a win over their arch-rival in men’s basketball.
Check that. The Gamecocks and Tigers both needed a victory at Littlejohn Coliseum on Sunday. With the non-conference portion of their schedules winding down, these teams each entered with four losses and in search of something positive for the holidays.
So they scratched, clawed and fouled their way for 40 minutes.
South Carolina 67, Clemson 54
It was ugly, it lacked flow and it came in a less-than-lively atmosphere, but it’s the Gamecocks who escaped and snapped a three-game skid in this series. They improved to 7-4 with a trip to No. 9 Virginia looming. The Tigers dropped to 5-5.
The game featured 41 fouls and 43 turnovers. Both sides were in the double bonus with 9:37 remaining.
“I got no idea how we did it ...,” said USC coach Frank Martin, who then credited a defense that held the Tigers to 28% shooting and a rare display of good outside shooting.
South Carolina was different this game from the beginning — Keyshawn Bryant started for the first time this season and little-used Nathan Nelson and Trae Hannibal were among the first Gamecocks off the bench — so it was only fitting that it used a unique couple plays to get the separation it needed down the stretch.
Jair Bolden, with his heels on the tiger paw near half-court, and A.J. Lawson hit consecutive 3-pointers to give Carolina a 12-point lead with 8:31 left. When Clemson cut the advantage to eight less than two minutes later, Jermaine Couisnard hit a 3 — and then Lawson hit another.
Bolden hit a dagger bomb with 1:51 that all made it a 65-52 game and all but ended the contest.
This all coming from a bunch that entered 336th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage. South Carolina on Sunday shot a season-best 44% from 3.
Clemson has now allowed 23 3-pointers over its last two games, a couple losses.
“Giving up eight 3s might have been one too many,” said Tigers coach Brad Brownell. “Their percentage was pretty good.”
“The one thing that’s been dragging for us this year, perimeter shots, I think we made four or five 3s in the last five, six minutes of the game,” Martin said, “which allowed us to hang on for life.”
The Tigers have now lost four straight games — all to Power 5 teams. USC, meanwhile, got its first win of the season over a Power 5 opponent.
Lawson had 20 points, Maik Kotsar added 11 and Bolden had 10. The Tigers got 21 from Aamir Sims and 13 from Al-Amir Dawes.
Chants of “Game-cocks” broke out toward the end as the orange-clad supports made their way to the exits.
“It feels great,” said Kotsar, a senior who entered having never won against the Tigers. “I’ve been waiting on it ... it just feels amazing.”
And one
Coming off a six-day break for final exams, USC made more than a few tweaks to its style. Bryant, in his third game back from injury, started in place of Wildens Levque. Nelson, a walk-on, logged a season-high four first half minutes. Hannibal, who hadn’t played in two games, finished with four points in 16 minutes.
Personal foul
Columbia native Tevin Mack was held to three points on 1 of 8 shooting for Clemson.
Tip-in
Martin is now 3-5 against Clemson, but this was his first win over the Tigers in Littlejohn. Previous road win for Carolina in this series came in Greenville.
Next game: USC
What: South Carolina at Virginia
Where: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va.
When: 3 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 22
TV: ABC
Radio: 107.5 The Game in Columbia area
Next game: Clemson
What: Clemson vs. Jacksonville
Where: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson
When: 9 p.m. Friday
TV: ACC Network
Radio: 1400 AM in the Columbia area
Box score
SOUTH CAROLINA (7-4) Bryant 2-6 3-4 7, Minaya 1-4 0-0 3, Kotsar 3-7 5-9 11, Bolden 3-8 2-2 10, Lawson 8-15 0-0 20, Nelson 0-0 0-0 0, Frink 3-4 2-2 8, Leveque 0-0 0-0 0, Moss 0-0 0-0 0, Couisnard 1-2 1-2 4, Hannibal 2-5 0-0 4. Totals 23-51 13-19 67.
CLEMSON (5-5) Simms 5-7 8-11 21, Tyson 0-0 0-0 0, Newman 1-6 4-7 6, Dawes 4-17 2-2 13, Mack 1-8 0-0 3, Baehre 0-1 0-0 0, Jemison 0-1 1-1 1, Scott 2-4 0-0 5, Hunter 1-5 2-2 5, Moore 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 14-50 17-23 54.
Halftime—South Carolina 28-26. 3-Point Goals—South Carolina 8-18 (Lawson 4-7, Bolden 2-6, Couisnard 1-1, Minaya 1-3, Bryant 0-1), Clemson 9-32 (Simms 3-3, Dawes 3-14, Scott 1-2, Hunter 1-2, Mack 1-6, Baehre 0-1, Newman 0-4). Fouled Out—Simms, Minaya. Rebounds—South Carolina 38 (Kotsar 7), Clemson 32 (Simms 8). Assists—South Carolina 11 (Bolden, Lawson 3), Clemson 10 (Dawes 5). Total Fouls—South Carolina 24, Clemson 17. A—6,394 (10,000).
This story was originally published December 15, 2019 at 7:18 PM.
