Perfect 10: Gamecocks stave off Clemson to remain unbeaten

It counts. No matter how ugly it was, or unlike how South Carolina wants to play, USC beat Clemson 65-59 on Friday. The Gamecocks are 10-0 for the first time since 1933-34 and have won two straight in the rivalry, and four of the past six.

“Last two minutes of the half, we gave them life,” Gamecocks coach Frank Martin said. “You can’t go on the road and give a good team life. But still, you go on the road and win, you do cartwheels on the highway on the way home.”

Accompanied by sighs of relief.

USC was on Clemson in a whirlwind of 3-pointers, offensive rebounds and a dunk so nasty it could own “SportsCenter” for a week. It was 38-18 with less than three minutes to play in the first half and the Tigers (7-4) had missed 12 straight from the field.

Clemson cut into the lead before half, and USC didn’t handle the pressure. Following a back-and-forth flurry of to start the second, Clemson began draining shots and USC began playing tentatively. Tiger centers Landry Nnoko and Sidy Djitte were shutting down USC’s posts and the Gamecocks began playing keepaway around the wing.

P.J. Dozier made some big shots, but Clemson kept coming, making it 59-55 with 4:24 to play on a Nnoko layup. The crowd at Bon Secours Wellness Arena began cheering and USC began glancing around nervously.

“We weren’t playing our game,” Michael Carrera said. “Second half, we didn’t have that much energy. First half was one of the best halves we ever had.”

A three-minute scoreless stretch featuring USC refusing to challenge Clemson’s interior and launching last-second 3s while Avry Holmes dribbled the ball off his leg ended with Carrera on the line. With 22 seconds to go, anything could happen.

“When I got that ball, I knew I was going to make it,” Carrera said. “That’s how it is.”

“I knew Mike wasn’t going to miss,” Martin said. “If there’s one guy on our team I want shooting those free throws right there, it’s Mike.”

Swish. Swish. Ballgame.

USC was kicking itself for another night of bad defensive rebounding (Clemson got 15 offensive boards for 13 second-chance points) and of being way too passive late in the game. While Eric Cobb played a fine game in relief of foul-hampered Chris Silva, Laimonas Chatkevicius has disappeared from his early-season success and Mindaugas Kacinas didn’t finish strongly. Despite eight points and nine rebounds, Thornwell was 2-for-10 from the field.

But the Gamecocks won, and are 10-0. On to the next one.

“We got to stay in the moment,” Martin said. “I’d like to be coaching basketball in March and those kids have worked their tails off for that to happen, but I know this – if I worry about March, or I worry about 10-0, it won’t happen. We got to worry about the next day.”

TURNING POINT

Before Carrera’s free throws, Dozier (who had 13 points and some key rebounds) was on the line to try and lock the game down. He missed the front end and Clemson rebounded, but Holmes turned the ball over. USC inbounded to Carrera, who was able to get upcourt and burn a few more seconds before he was fouled.

3 POINTS

Star of the game: Carrera, the man opponents love to hate for his relentless aggression around the rim, was the only USC big playing to his capability. He scored a team-high 14 with six boards and a block.

Play of the game: Thornwell drove the lane, elevated and savagely rammed the ball through the rim over Nnoko, earning the foul. It was so good Thornwell gave some high-fives to fans.

Stat of the game: USC shot 8-for-26 from the field in the second half. Had it not built a 20-point first-half lead on 55.6 percent shooting, way different outcome.

FROM THE BASELINE

No background: Bon Secours Wellness Arena is primarily a hockey arena, which explained the chill (the ice was under the playing surface). Iit also affected each team’s shooting – with no depth perception behind the glass, each team struggled to connect early on. Like tournament play, the arenas are often spread out and seats are not steep behind the baskets. There’s nothing to line up, leading to Thornwell and Roper airballs in the first three minutes.

Corn: Silva disappeared with two fouls in his first minute of play, so Cobb entered. The freshman played a fine game, unfazed by Clemson’s veteran big men. He scored four points with five rebounds.

UP NEXT

Who: South Carolina vs. St. John’s

When: 9 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn.

TV: CBS Sports Network

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 8:59 PM.