Gamecocks men hold off late UAB rally to win third game. Here’s what we learned
Frank Martin got the best of an old friend Thursday night.
Matched up against Andy Kennedy’s UAB Blazers, Martin’s South Carolina men’s team defeated the Blazers 66-63 to move to 3-1 on the young season.
Kennedy and Martin coached together at Cincinnati early in their careers and have maintained a friendship through multiple coaching stops, with both known for aggressive, rugged basketball. Kennedy led the Blazers to a 22-7 record in his first season with UAB last year, and the Blazers had won all three games this season before coming to Columbia.
Here’s what we learned about the Gamecocks.
Martin tweaks the starting lineup
After leaning on smaller personnel for much of the win over Western Kentucky at the Asheville Championship, Martin decided to make a change to his starting lineup.
He inserted 6-foot-5 son Brandon Martin at starting power forward after Martin appeared to provide stability to the court in his season-high 18 minutes off the bench against WKU. Transfer Josh Gray started at the 4 in USC’s first three games, but Frank Martin had expressed frustration with the play of Gray and freshman Ta’Quan Woodley at the position, especially defending the perimeter.
Transfer forward A.J. Wilson has yet to play this season after a lower-back strain and a death in his family. He missed Thursday’s game due to illness, but he could be the front-runner to start at the 4 when he returns, given his experience at George Mason.
Deep shots start to fall
Perimeter shooting was an area of weakness for the Gamecocks a year ago and something that Martin and his staff sought to address with the additions of guard transfers Erik Stevenson and James Reese.
Coming into Thursday’s game, Stevenson had struggled mightily from the 3-point line, making just two of his 25 attempts on the season. After each game, Martin insisted that his shots would eventually go in.
On Thursday night, Stevenson made his first three 3-point attempts and paced the Gamecocks in scoring with a season-high 15 points.
He wasn’t alone. Reese heated up from the 3-point line in the second half, making three 3-pointers to bring his total to four on the night and finish just behind Stevenson with 14 points.
Overall, the Gamecocks shot 8-for-17 from the 3-point line.
Turnovers haunt Gamecocks late
Martin had said after USC’s win over WKU that he felt fortunate to win with the Gamecocks turning the ball over 24 times.
Turnovers struck again Thursday, with the Gamecocks turning it over 22 times and helping to fuel a late run by the Blazers. After leading by as much as 16 points, USC allowed UAB to go on a 19-8 late in the second half, shrinking the Gamecocks’ lead to single digits.
The Blazers had a chance to go ahead with seconds on the clock, but forward Jordan Walker missed a last-ditch attempt at the rim.
Next USC men’s basketball game
Who: South Carolina vs. Wofford
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia
Watch: Streaming on SEC Network Plus
Box score: South Carolina 66, UAB 63
UAB (3-1): Buffen 0-3 1-2 1, Jemison 3-4 1-2 7, Jackson 3-8 5-10 12, Lovan 3-8 0-2 6, Walker 4-16 4-4 15, Ertel 4-11 4-4 12, LeBlanc 2-4 0-0 4, Brown 1-1 0-0 3, Locure 1-4 0-0 3, Johnson 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 21-61 15-24 63.
SOUTH CAROLINA (3-1): Martin 1-4 1-2 3, Leveque 3-8 7-8 13, Couisnard 3-9 0-0 7, Reese 5-8 0-0 14, Stevenson 6-9 0-0 15, Wright 0-4 0-0 0, D.Carter 3-6 6-10 12, Woodley 0-2 0-0 0, Gray 1-2 0-0 2, C.Carter 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-52 14-20 66.
Halftime—South Carolina 35-25. 3-Point Goals—UAB 6-22 (Walker 3-8, Brown 1-1, Jackson 1-3, Locure 1-3, Johnson 0-2, Ertel 0-5), South Carolina 8-17 (Reese 4-5, Stevenson 3-5, Couisnard 1-5, D.Carter 0-1, Martin 0-1). Fouled Out—Stevenson. Rebounds—UAB 32 (Jemison 8), South Carolina 33 (Martin 8). Assists—UAB 9 (Walker 3), South Carolina 12 (Couisnard, Reese, D.Carter 3). Total Fouls—UAB 19, South Carolina 19. A—8,856 (18,000).
This story was originally published November 18, 2021 at 9:05 PM.
