Gamecocks overcome Hofstra, advance to Paradise Jam championship
At St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., South Carolina shot into the Paradise Jam championship game by being just a little bit hotter than a Hofstra team that stroked a school-record 17 3-pointers.
The Gamecocks (4-0) won 94-84 after stretching a slight lead with a 12-0 run late in the second half. The Pride (3-1), which fell to 0-6 against USC lifetime, kept hitting from long range but had no answer for USC’s devastating post game.
Seniors Laimonas Chatkevicus, Mindaugas Kacinas and Michael Carrera combined for 52 points. The Gamecocks shot 54 percent from the field, Sindarius Thornwell and P.J. Dozier joining the three seniors in double figures, as Hofstra couldn’t counter the height and transition.
Juan’ya Green scored 28 with six 3-pointers but couldn’t overcome the Gamecocks’ height advantage. USC had a season-high 44 points in the paint, led by 18 from Kacinas, and only trailed for 36 seconds.
The Gamecocks will play Tulsa (4-0) for the tournament championship. The Golden Hurricane are led by former SEC coach Frank Haith (Missouri) and top assistant Dennis Felton (Georgia).
USC is 4-0 for the first time in the Frank Martin era. The Gamecocks haven’t been 5-0 since 2004-05, the first year after their last NCAA tournament appearance.
HOFSTRA (3-1)
Green 7-15 8-10 28, Tanksley 7-13 0-2 18, Gustys 0-1 2-4 2, Koon 3-7 0-0 7, Bernardi 5-7 0-0 14, Nichols 1-5 0-0 3, Wright-Foreman 2-3 0-0 4, Buie 3-4 1-1 8, Walker 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-55 11-17 84.<
SOUTH CAROLINA (4-0)
Thornwell 4-8 6-8 14, Chatkevicius 8-14 1-3 17, Dozier 5-10 0-1 12, Carrera 7-11 1-2 17, Kacinas 9-10 0-1 18, Stroman 0-1 0-0 0, Notice 2-7 2-2 7, Cobb 1-2 0-0 2, Silva 1-5 5-6 7. Totals 37-68 15-23 94.<
Halftime: South Carolina 46-39. 3-Point Goals: Hofstra 17-34 (Green 6-13, Bernardi 4-6, Tanksley 4-7, Buie 1-2, Koon 1-2, Nichols 1-3, Wright-Foreman 0-1), South Carolina 5-9 (Carrera 2-2, Dozier 2-2, Notice 1-2, Kacinas 0-1, Thornwell 0-2). Fouled Out_Nichols. Rebounds: Hofstra 23 (Gustys 6), South Carolina 41 (Dozier, Thornwell 9). Assists_Hofstra 16 (Green 7), South Carolina 16 (Thornwell 6). Total Fouls: Hofstra 21, South Carolina 18.
TULSA (4-0) vs. SOUTH CAROLINA (4-0)
What: Championship game, Paradise Jam
When: 9 p.m. Monday
Where: UVI Sports and Fitness Center, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
TV: CBS Sports Network
Tickets: Available at the box office
Tulsa’s probable starters: G Rashad Ray 5-10 Sr. (1.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg); G Shaquille Harrison 6-4 Sr. (24.3 pp, 6.3 rpg); G James Woodard 6-3 Sr. (16.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg); F D’Andre Wright 6-9 Sr. (7.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg); F Rashad Smith 6-7 Sr. (4.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
South Carolina’s probable starters: G P.J. Dozier 6-6 Fr. (6.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg); G Sindarius Thornwell 6-5 Jr. (12.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg); F Mindaugas Kacinas 6-7 Sr. (15.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg); F Michael Carrera 6-5 Sr. (9.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg); C Laimonas Chatkevicius 6-11 Sr. (16.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
Next game: The Gamecocks host Lipscomb at 2 p.m. Friday.
This story was originally published November 22, 2015 at 11:39 PM.