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South Carolina fans storm court following 79-62 rout of No. 6 Kentucky

FaceProfileby:Thomas Goldkamp•01/23/24
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Jan 23, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Zachary Davis (12) celebrates a play against the Kentucky Wildcats in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

South Carolina coach Lamont Paris has quickly built the Gamecocks into contenders in his second season in charge of the program and nothing will underscore that quite like Tuesday night’s demolition of No. 6 Kentucky.

Riding the energy and momentum a strong home crowd provided, the Gamecocks stormed out to an early first-half lead and then expanded it even further in the second half, turning it into a 79-62 rout of the Wildcats.

Fans stormed the court following the win.

“It’s awesome. I can’t wait to get back in the locker room with my guys,” Paris told SEC Network sideline reporter Alyssa Lang after the game. “This is a great moment for them. They’ve worked really hard. They’ve been committed to defense in a way that I’ve rarely seen, and I think you saw that tonight against a really talented offensive team, so I’m just proud of them.”

The win had a little bit of everything, including several runs by South Carolina that stretched the margins. The team ended the first half on a 6-0 run. At the same time, Kentucky finished the half making just one of its final 10 field goal attempts.

That gave Paris’ side a 33-25 lead at the break.

Early in the second half the squad made highlight reels everywhere with a dunk that provided a ‘welcome to college basketball’ moment for much ballyhooed Kentucky big man Zvonimir Ivisic, who recently gained eligibility from the NCAA.

After Gamecocks guard Ta’lon Cooper dribbled under the rim early in the second half, he flipped a quick pass with his left hand inside to forward Collin Murray-Boyles in the paint. Murray-Boyles finished with power over Ivisic to extend South Carolina’s lead over Kentucky and provide a signature moment in the contest.

But it was the stretch in the early going just before halftime that really did the trick and put the Gamecocks ahead with some momentum.

“Great way to end the half,” Paris said. “A good energy boost going into halftime. I thought we did a good job. I thought our energy was great. We were very active on the defensive end. We defensive rebounded, which was very important against an athletic team like this.”

South Carolina managed only a 20-18 edge in rebounding in the first half, but it went into the contest likely the underdog in that respect, especially with the recent clearing of Ivisic.

Hot shooting also fueled the first half run; South Carolina went 6-of-12 beyond the 3-point line, while Kentucky finished 2-of-10.

The shooting would remain sharp throughout the contest, as South Carolina finished 29-of-60 (48%) from the floor and 11-of-24 (46%) from 3-point range in the game.

The win improved South Carolina to 4-2 in league play.