Gamecocks wake up, streak past Oral Roberts

Frank Martin buried his head in his hands when senior center Laimonas Chatkevicius showed up this summer with a gigantic wolf head tattooed on his shoulder.

It was his right to do what he wanted to with his body, but Chatkevicius’ game didn’t exactly fit the ink.The laid-back Lithuanian explained it as a representation of his new attitude – his senior year, he was going to live up to his potential.

Two games in … OK.

Chatkevicius buried Oral Roberts with a career-high 27 points in South Carolina’s 84-66 win on Monday, propelling the Gamecocks into the weekend’s Paradise Jam with a 2-0 record and dispatching another pesky team. The Golden Eagles (1-1) zoned USC for the first 15 minutes and USC was accepting it, until the Gamecocks finally remembered Martin’s pregame instructions.

“We settled for off-the-dribble jump shots, which is exactly what we said not to do,” Martin said. “Get the ball inside.”

They did, finding Chatkevicius, Mindaugas Kacinas, Michael Carrera and Eric Cobb for a combined 53 points. Oral Roberts, a team like Norfolk State – led by its guards – never knew what hit it.

“Number 14 …,” began ORU coach Scott Sutton. “I don’t know how to pronounce his name, but he just kicked us.”

Chatkevicius’ previous career-high was 18 points. The Gamecocks trailed early, but took a three-point lead at halftime, and following a not-so-gentle reminder in the locker room, started feeding their 6-foot-11 mule.

He hit a layup for a six-point lead out of halftime. He then finished a feed from Carrera for a 43-38 advantage. He connected on free throws, hooks, one-handers – and a 3-pointer to finish.

“It’s all on the team,” Chatkevicius said. “They gave me the ball. They shared the ball and looked for me.”

The Gamecocks again dominated the offensive glass and got 18 points from Duane Notice. He and Sindarius Thornwell kept throwing the ball inside – exactly what they didn’t do early.

“When we’re struggling with our shot, our motto is to get the ball inside,” Notice said. “You saw the damage Big L did.”

TURNING POINT

It’s amazing how much better a team looks when it puts the ball in the basket.

The Gamecocks couldn’t throw it in the ocean for the first 15 minutes of the game, but after Kacinas hit two free throws to cut the Eagles’ lead to three, USC woke up. The Gamecocks scored on five of their next eight possessions, including two 3-pointers, to take control.

3 POINTS

Star of the game: Chatkevicius hit a career-high in points and took over during the crucial stretch bridging halftime. The Gamecocks, which began poorly from the field, kept feeding the big man and he kept producing.

Play of the game: Thornwell stroked a 3-pointer with less than two minutes to go in the first half, giving the Gamecocks a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. It was in the middle of a 12-2 run after Oral Roberts had taken a 28-21 lead.

Stat of the game: The Gamecocks’ frontcourt (Chatkevicius, Carrera, Kacinas and Cobb) scored 28 of USC’s final 29 points.

FROM THE BASELINE

Loco: Carrera’s fearlessness is exactly what keeps him on the floor, but it’s also what gets in him foul trouble. He again had two in the first four minutes on Monday. But once he came in in the second half, got more comfortable and was scoring on a lot of face-up possessions.

Hungry: Chatkevicius got his tattoo because he feels like the “lone wolf.” If this is the result, he should get the rest of the litter inked on the other shoulder.

Old heads: USC’s four players in double figures were two juniors and two seniors. Martin has credited his upperclassmen’s work in helping the new guys, while not sacrificing their games.

UP NEXT

Who: South Carolina vs. DePaul

When: 6 p.m. Friday

Where: Sports and Fitness Center, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

TV: CBS Sports Network

This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 9:34 PM.