South Carolina extends win streak to seven with win over Vanderbilt

South Carolina overcame first half struggles to beat the Vanderbilt Commodores, 75-60. Collin Murray-Boyles led the Gamecocks to victory with a career-high 31 points in another big game at Colonial Life Arena.

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How it happened

Vanderbilt knew they were going to have to play hard and aggressive to compete with South Carolina. Out of the gate, Vanderbilt went on a 5-0 run to take the lead, but South Carolina responded with a back and forth first half.

South Carolina struggled making shots and stopping Vanderbilt from rebounding. In the first, Vanderbilt had 17 rebounds compared to 13 from the Gamecocks.

It was another big game for Murray-Boyles who had 11 points and two rebound in the first half. BJ Mack also scored big for the Gamecocks with six points in the first and an aggressive 2-for-6 from the field.

Additionally, Meechie Johnson also had six points in the first with one rebound and one assist. Despite scoring zero points in the first, Josh Gray played his part on defense with two rebounds and two defensive rebounds in the first.

Ta’Lon Cooper was one of many who struggled from the field. He shot 0-for-2 from the three point line and 1-for-3 from the field in the first.

At the half, Vanderbilt held the lead 32-28. Head coach Lamont Paris turned his Gamecocks around in the second.

“Just come out in the second half and play our game,” Mack said. “We weren’t playing like ourselves in the first half so in the second half you saw a lot of us moving the ball and a lot of stops on defense.”

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The Gamecocks came out of halftime on a hot streak. Murray-Boyles shined on the court as he scored a season high 31 points to help the Gamecocks get the win over Vanderbilt.

The height of Josh Gray and the aggression of Murray-Boyles helped stop Vanderbilt’s leading scorer Ezra Manjon from dominating.

Although he didn’t have the highest scoring game, Johnson continues to pass the ball well and open up opportunities for his teammates. Johnson had three rebounds and five assists against the Commodores.

“I think his passing is certainly underrated,” Paris said. “It stems from a lot of things. He’s got great feel, he’s got really good vision, he processes information so fast because he moves really fast, I mean lightning fast.”

As the momentum shifted in the second, Mack found the net. In the second, Mack had 12 points with three rebounds and two assists.

Altogether, South Carolina shot 52 percent from the field compared to just 48 percent by the Commodores. From the free throw line, South Carolina shot 75 percent while Vanderbilt shot just 30 percent.

“Luckily, there’s a reason why it’s a forty minute game and they give you two halves to show what you can do and you’re not judged until the clock hits zero,” Paris said.

Two observations

Shots weren’t sinking in the first—Throughout the half, South Carolina struggled to find the net. Specifically, Mack went 2-for-6 from the field and Myles Stute went 0-for-2 from the three-point line.

Massive momentum change—After struggling throughout the first, South Carolina entered the second half as a different team. The Gamecocks shot 56.3 percent in the second half.

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Key stat

31 rebounds—As a team, South Carolina responded to a major Vanderbilt first half. The Commodores were rebounding the ball well and the Gamecocks were able to adjust and do the same.

Turning point

After going into the half down by four, the Gamecocks turned their game around in the second half. Paris fired his team up and South Carolina played like a different basketball team in the second.

Up next

The Gamecocks will hit the road and travel to Auburn to take on the Tigers (19-4, 8-2 SEC). Tip-off is set for 7:30p.m. at Neville Arena (9,121) Feb. 14. The game will available to watch/listen on SEC Network/107.5 FM.

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