These Gamecocks starred in Virginia win, but played sparingly in Stetson loss. Why?
A.J Lawson checked out of South Carolina’s Monday game against Stetson with 7:15 left. He didn’t return until 40 seconds remained and the Gamecocks were down eight.
USC, eight days after beating Virginia on the road, lost to the Hatters, 63-56, at home. Lawson, the team’s most decorated player, logged a season-low 13 minutes.
Why?
Frank Martin took that question and put it back on a reporter in the post-game news conference.
“Did you see him play the first six minutes? Would you have kept playing him?” Martin asked.
Lawson, Carolina’s leading scorer and a reigning All-SEC freshman team member, finished with eight points and four turnovers, including three giveaways in eight first half minutes. The sophomore did, however, lead all Gamecocks in second half scoring with six points.
Martin admitted that Lawson, a Canada native, returned from a brief holiday break under the weather.
“He had a little fever that first day and his throat was all red and swollen,” Martin said. “He practiced (Sunday). It’s not like he didn’t practice. .... I got no idea.”
Lawson and Jair Bolden, a pair that combined for 36 points in the UVa win, combined for eight points. Bolden, named SEC co-player of the week Dec. 23, didn’t score in 15 minutes.
“You got to ask them,” Martin said when asked why his starting guards struggled against a Stetson defense that entered ranked No. 342 in adjusted defensive efficiency. “You’re asking me to speak on something that I only have one kind of answer for right now and it’s not fair for them for me to express publicly what I think. So next time you have a press conference, ask for them and ask them that question. If you ask me the next time you see me, I would have had conversations with them so I can tell you what they told me.”
Stetson coach Donnie Jones provided a little clarity on the Hatters’ zone-heavy defensive strategy against Lawson.
“He’s a terrific penetrator, strong,” said Jones, whose Hatters improved to 6-9. “In the open floor, he hurt us a few times with being able to get into our zone and penetrate. Our biggest thing was keeping him in front, make him score over top.”
Lawson missed all three of his 3-point attempts as the Gamecocks dropped to 8-5.
This story was originally published December 30, 2019 at 6:41 PM.
