South Carolina hangs tough but misses opportunity to upset No. 10 Houston
For a moment, it appeared as though Frank Martin would be able to add another basketball to his collection.
The South Carolina men’s basketball coach said earlier in the week that he hangs a basketball on the wall of his office for every top-20 win his Gamecocks secure.
USC nearly pulled off another upset on Saturday, leading No. 10 Houston by four points on the road at halftime. However, the Gamecocks weren’t able to maintain that lead in a second half defined by turnovers and foul trouble.
Despite being shorthanded, Houston rallied to defeat South Carolina, 77-67, moving to 4-0 on the season, while the Gamecocks fell to 1-2.
“We let a great opportunity slip right through our hands,” Martin said after the game. “I thought in the first half ... we played offensively and defensively as a unit.
“When you’re playing a really good basketball team, that’s a program. Not a school that’s got two good players, you’re playing a team that’s got a program. They’ve got old players, and they know how to win.”
3 Observations from USC-Houston
1. Shorthanded Cougars
There were rumblings this week that the Cougars could be without star guard Caleb Mills due to not one, but two sprained ankles. His absence on Saturday night was not surprising.
What was surprising was the news shortly before the game that leading scorer Marcus Sasser also sprained his ankle and would be out. Even more, Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson and assistant coach/son Kellen Sampson both had to sit out Saturday’s game due to COVID-19 contact tracing protocols.
Martin said the Gamecocks didn’t learn about Mills and Sasser being out until just before tipoff. He also said Sampson called him Friday to alert Martin that he wouldn’t be able to attend the game due to COVID-19 protocol.
The impact those absences had on the Cougars’ performance is difficult to measure, but South Carolina certainly took advantage early by taking a 35-31 halftime lead.
2. 3-point battle
Martin said earlier in the week that a key to beating a team like Houston is being able to score from beyond the arc. The difference between the Gamecocks’ loss to Virginia in Columbia and win against Virginia in Charlottesville over the last two years was USC’s 3-point efficiency. To beat a team with an elite defense, sinking your perimeter looks is imperative.
Although Houston doesn’t employ a true pack-line defense like Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers, the Cougars do make protecting the paint a priority and they entered the game sixth in the country in scoring defense with 52 points per game allowed.
The Gamecocks took advantage of some open looks from the 3-point line in the first half, making 5-of-11 attempts while holding the typically sharpshooting Cougars to just one 3-pointer on 13 attempts. Reserve guard T.J. Moss made two of those 3-pointers, while Justin Minaya made three for the game.
However, the tables turned in the second half, as the Cougars sunk 3 of 5 3-point attempts, and the Gamecocks could only muster one.
“I think we played pretty well that first half,” Minaya said. “But it’s a full 40 minutes, and we didn’t play a full 40-minute game.”
3. Foul trouble and turnovers
Minaya, Keyshawn Bryant and Moss each reached four fouls in the second half, limiting their availability down the stretch.
More significantly, Houston made 30 of 38 free-throw attempts in the game, compared to 17 of 29 for the Gamecocks.
USC also committed 19 turnovers in the game, allowing 21 points off of those turnovers.
Next game
Who: South Carolina (1-2) vs Wofford (2-0)
Where: Colonial Life Arena
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Watch: SEC Network
South Carolina vs Houston box score, stats
SOUTH CAROLINA (1-2): Bryant 5-7 0-0 10, Frink 1-2 0-0 2, Minaya 4-6 2-2 13, Couisnard 3-9 3-7 10, Lawson 2-10 1-3 5, Leveque 1-4 3-6 5, Moss 2-3 2-2 8, McCreary 3-5 2-4 8, Hannibal 1-1 4-4 6, Woods 0-3 0-1 0, Anderson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-50 17-29 67.
HOUSTON (4-0): Gorham 2-5 1-3 5, Gresham 2-4 0-0 4, Grimes 4-12 14-15 23, Jarreau 4-9 2-2 11, Mark 4-12 9-12 18, Shead 3-7 2-2 9, Roberts 2-3 3-4 7, Chaney 0-2 0-0 0, Tyson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-55 31-38 77.
Halftime—South Carolina 35-31. 3-Point Goals—South Carolina 6-17 (Minaya 3-3, Moss 2-2, Couisnard 1-4, Bryant 0-1, McCreary 0-1, Woods 0-1, Lawson 0-5), Houston 4-19 (Jarreau 1-2, Shead 1-3, Grimes 1-4, Mark 1-8, Gorham 0-1, Tyson 0-1). Fouled Out—Gresham, Jarreau. Rebounds—South Carolina 30 (Hannibal 7), Houston 34 (Jarreau 8). Assists—South Carolina 13 (Lawson 4), Houston 10 (Grimes, Jarreau 3). Total Fouls—South Carolina 26, Houston 25.
This story was originally published December 5, 2020 at 8:23 PM.
