South Carolina handles USC Upstate at home. 3 observations from the win
South Carolina used a second-half run to pull away and beat USC Upstate 73-53 in Colonial Life Arena on Saturday.
The Gamecocks (7-3) led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but the Spartans ended the half on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to single digits.
Even so, the aforementioned 16-4 run midway through the period salted things away for the Gamecocks.
“I thought the second half, we did a lot more things that resembled what we want to look like,” USC head coach Lamont Paris said. “I thought we did a lot more things that we practice, that we talk about, and we did them with success.”
Senior transfer Nick Pringle had his best game as a Gamecock, tying his career high 19 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles also notched a double-double, filling the stat sheet with with 13 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
Seniors Jamarii Thomas (11) and Jacobi Wright (10) also got into double figures for South Carolina.
USC Upstate junior guard Brit Harris was stretchered off in the first half after landing on his neck following a dunk attempt.
Next on South Carolina’s radar is a rivalry matchup against No. 16 Clemson — new to the rankings — at home Tuesday. Clemson is coming off an 87-82 (OT) home loss to Memphis.
Here are three observations from South Carolina’s win over USC Upstate:
Quick start, but not for long
South Carolina got off to a quick start Saturday, a good sign for the Gamecocks after a sluggish start in the win over East Carolina last time out. They started 6 of 8 (75%) early in the first half.
The Gamecocks have found their stroke in recent games, bringing their average from 3-point land to 36% on the season coming into this game. They shot over 50% from deep in both of their last two games.
That trend ended Saturday with South Carolina shooting 5-of-19 (26.3%) from downtown after starting 3 of 5 (60%). That goes along with South Carolina’s struggles to close the first half as strongly as it started, as it only shot 2 of 11 in the waning minutes before the break.
Dominating the inside
That came from the Gamecocks’ focus on scoring on the inside to start the game. Murray-Boyles and Pringle combined for 12 points in the first seven minutes of the game, finding easy scores down low. South Carolina’s size advantage was evident early.
South Carolina got away from that as the first half went on, but went right back to it to start the second half. Murray-Boyles laid it in for the Gamecocks’ first score after the break, and Pringle slammed one in right after him. South Carolina finished with 32 points on the inside.
Taking care of the ball
The Gamecocks had a season-low eight turnovers Their previous low was nine against Virginia Tech in the Fort Myers Tipoff last month. Paris said turnovers are a part of the “controllable” aspects of the game, which he emphasizes even when the team isn’t playing well.
“The teams I’ve been around that have been really good or have found a way to achieve or exceed their ceiling are the teams that can do those things consistently,” Paris said. “That’s why I’m allowed to be frustrated on it, because I think you have to care to do those things consistently.”
This and that
- USC Upstate’s CJ Rich is assistant coach Carey Rich’s son. He played the last couple of minutes Saturday against South Carolina. As a sophomore reserve, he doesn’t see the floor much, but he has seen his playing time increase from last season.
Next four games
- Dec. 17 vs. Clemson, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Dec. 22 vs. Radford, 2 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Dec. 30 vs. Presbyterian, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Jan. 4 at Mississippi State, 2 p.m. (SEC Network)
This story was originally published December 14, 2024 at 4:08 PM.
