South Carolina overcomes sluggish first half to pick up exhibition win

It’s only an exhibition but Wednesday was a step in the right direction for South Carolina men’s basketball.

After trailing by as much as 22 points, the Gamecocks played a strong second half to come back and win 60-57 over Wofford in a charity exhibition game.

How it happened

Right from the start, South Carolina came out looking flat. Shots weren’t falling by any means. Instead, it was Wofford doing the scoring.

In the early minutes, Wofford guard Dillon Bailey drove to the hole and picked up an and-one. He missed the free throw, and the Gamecocks couldn’t get the rebound, which gave Bailey a chance to make an open three.

From there, the Terriers went on a 13-0 run, which eventually turned into a 16-2 run. During that stretch, the Gamecocks hadn’t scored in more than five minutes.

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It wasn’t until Zach Davis came crashing in to grab a rebound and dunk on a Wofford defender to end the drought. South Carolina didn’t make its first three-pointer until Myles Stute sank one from the corner with five minutes to go in the first half.

But for the most part, the Gamecocks couldn’t hit their shots. By halftime, they were 6-for-30 from the floor and just 1-for-12 from three.

It was day and night between the two sides. Wofford shot 48 percent from the floor and 46 percent from three to hold a commanding 34-17 lead.

Coming out of the break, South Carolina did look a little better. BJ Mack started out strong with a pair of threes to put the team on a 9-0 run.

However, because Wofford had such a good first half, it was nothing more than a small dent in its lead.

Slowly, the Gamecocks continued to hit shots. But it was more than just that. They were also playing a lot better defensively and being active. And the lead continued to dwindle.

With just over 10 minutes to go, Morris Ugusuk hit a three to give the Gamecocks their first lead of the night. They were able to erase what was, at most, a 22-point lead.

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Wofford didn’t go away easily, though. It kept fighting and the game went back and forth with each team taking the lead multiple times.

The difference in the game would be a three-pointer by Davis with just over three minutes to play. It would give South Carolina a five-point lead.

In the final minutes, it would be the defense that stepped up. Every shot the Terriers took was a tough one. They shot 33.3 percent from the floor and 11.1 percent from three down the stretch.

With time ticking down, Stute nailed two key free throws to keep the Gamecocks out in front the rest of the way.

Now in desperation mode, Wofford drove down the floor with less than 10 seconds to go. But Meechie Johnson forced a turnover and hit two free throws on the other end to finish things out.

South Carolina shot much better in the second half, shooting 42.9 percent. The threes were starting to fall as well as it hit them 44.4 percent of the time.

Two observations

Play more active—After halftime, the Gamecocks came out looking a lot better. It wasn’t just because of the shooting progressing but the defense also was stronger. They were able to do it for one half and come back to win. Now, they’ve got to try and do it for a full 40 minutes.

Find your shooters and get them shots—South Carolina is going to take a lot of shots this season. There’s no denying that. But who shoots them is the bigger question. Meechie Johnson will take plenty of them but getting the other guys involved is key. Mack and Davis could be those players for the Gamecocks, especially when either are riding the hot hand.

Key stat

8-for-18—When the Gamecocks are hitting their threes, they can be a hard team to beat. When they aren’t, they struggle mightily. It was pretty much a tale of two halves. But they shot 8-for-18 in the second half after only hitting one in the first 20 minutes. Mack and Davis were able to save the day and combined to hit 5-of-7 threes in the second half.

Turning point

South Carolina opened the second half on a 20-5 run to get itself going. It was just what the team needed after having a dreadful first half. Eventually, the shots kept falling and the Gamecocks were able to retake the lead.

Up next

South Carolina will open the regular season against USC Upstate next Monday, Nov. 6. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. on SECN+.

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