South Carolina falls to No. 22 Xavier in first game of Fort Myers Tip-Off

South Carolina suffered a 75-66 loss against No. 22 Xavier on Monday.

The Gamecocks (3-3) fell after leading for the majority of the first half. Sloppy passing and errors killed them late in the game leading to their downfall.

How it happened

Xavier started the match on a strong start leading the game 7-0 early. However, South Carolina quickly found a solution defensively as Xavier went through a 6:36 minute scoring drought. The Gamecocks went on an early 17-0 run to turn things around.

But still, South Carolina struggled with sloppy passing, maintaining momentum, fouls and attacking inside. However, the game was back and forth as both teams had their respective struggles.

At the half, Xavier was ineffective in hitting three-point shots making just 9 percent compared to a South Carolina 33 percent. The Musketeers recovered nine offensive rebounds compared to zero by South Carolina in the first.

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Dailyn Swain was an offensive powerhouse for the Musketeers scoring 14 points with six rebounds. The Gamecock defense struggled to slow Swain’s momentum as he went 5-for-7 from the field.

Out of the locker room in the second half, Xavier turned up the heat and gained back the lead early on. The Gamecocks were unable to catch up to the Musketeers through a close match.

South Carolina struggled to connect with Xavier clogging lanes in the paint. Jamarii Thomas went 3-for-10 from the field and 1-for-3 from the three-point line. Gamecock effort was incredible lacking in the second half. They struggled to consistently rebound and gave up a lot of easy second chance point opportunities.

Shooting from the outside was also a struggle. After shooting nearly 48 percent in the first half, the Gamecocks shot 38.7 percent from the field and only made one three after the break.

South Carolina turned the ball over 12 times, which allowed for Xavier to take advantage and score 20 points off those mistakes, ultimately being a key difference in this game.

Collin Murray-Boyles and Nick Pringle tried to carry the team the rest of the way. Murray-Boyles scored 13 points and went 4-for-5 from the field before fouling out. Pringle had nine points on 4-of-6 shooting. But Xavier clearly outmatched the Gamecocks in the paint.

Two observations

Xavier came out strong in the early minutes but South Carolina responded—The Musketeers started on a 7-0 run and seemingly were in complete control in the first half. However, the defense recognized and responded early bringing the Musketeers to an over six minute scoring drought. The Gamecocks also took the lead and held on until four minutes into the second half.

South Carolina could not get the rebounds—The Gamecocks were not nearly aggressive enough in the paint and gave Xavier too much time to get rebounds. Xavier led with 41 total rebounds with South Carolina grabbing just 31.

Key stat

Fouls—Throughout, South Carolina struggled with decision making, costly errors and sloppy plays. The Gamecocks racked up 19 fouls.

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Turning point

Out of the locker room at the half, Xavier was able to excel against South Carolina’s defense. The Musketeers scored 46 second half points en route to a comfortable win by the end of the game.

Up next

The Gamecocks will face Virginia Tech on Wednesday Nov. 27 in the Fort Myers Tip-Off third place game. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.

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