South Carolina picks up road win in Athens to solidify AP poll status

Leave no doubt. That was the goal on Saturday. Win the game and you force the hand of the AP voters to make the easy decision.

For a time, it seemed South Carolina might not walk away unscathed this week. But if there’s one thing this team does, it is finding a way. And that’s what happened.

The Gamecocks (19-3, 7-2 SEC) came from behind in the second half to take down Georgia 72-62. It’s all but certain they’ll find themselves ranked for the first time since 2017 come Monday afternoon.

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How it happened

In the early going, Georgia seemingly couldn’t miss a shot it took. It opened the game with a couple of made three-pointers. At one point, the Bulldogs started out 7-for-8 from deep to take a big lead.

But for as hot of a start they got off to, it was going to be hard to maintain. Eventually, things cooled down from the outside as Georgia went 1-for-10 the rest of the first half.

As a result, South Carolina had a lot of work to do to get back in the game. Not that it was playing bad by any means, but Georgia just wasn’t missing. Plus, the inside game was working well for the Gamecocks. Once the shots weren’t falling for the Bulldogs, they managed to trim the deficit down to single digits.

The shots also began to go in from three-point range for South Carolina. Meechie Johnson, who came into Saturday 1 for his last 17 shooting, knocked down two threes in the first half. Ta’Lon Cooper also had a pair of triples.

Even with the lead dwindling, Georgia still managed to stay in front. It led for 18:10 in the first half. By halftime, South Carolina only trailed by two points. Even with the Bulldogs’ early shooting efforts, it was the Gamecocks who shot better from the field at a 53.3 percent rate.

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It took some time, but South Carolina snagged the lead back with 13 minutes to play in the second half. It was the first time it had led since the opening minute of the game.

As the half wore on, the momentum in the game was shifting. Once the Gamecocks got in front, they continued to play well and keep things close. Midway through the half, they went on a big 8-0 run while holding Georgia scoreless for more than four minutes.

South Carolina went up by double digits with under three minutes to play. The defense stepped it up, forcing Georgia into taking tough shot after tough shot.

The Bulldogs shot 29.2 percent in the second half on 7-of-24 shooting. It was more than a good enough effort defensively to pull away late. From three-point range, they went 2-for-20 after knocking down seven of their first eight shots.

BOX SCORE: South Carolina-Georgia game

Two observations

Gritty effort—Another game where South Carolina really had to flip a switch. Georgia got off to a super good start, but after that, it was pretty much all Gamecocks. This was always going to be a tough game on the road. Props need to be given for finding a way.

Defense got better as the game went on—It’s easy to say South Carolina started to hit some more shots. But it was the defense that really stepped up to the plate and made it tough for Georgia on every shot. :

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Key stat

22—South Carolina’s second half defense was phenomenal. After scoring 40 first half points, Georgia only mustered 22 points after halftime.

Turning point

Midway through the second half, South Carolina went on a key 8-0 run to take the lead. In the process, it held the Bulldogs scoreless for more than four minutes.

Up next

South Carolina returns home to face Ole Miss (18-3, 5-3 SEC) on Tuesday night. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network.

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