South Carolina takes down Boston College in the SEC/ACC Challenge

Facing off against South Carolina native and Boston College head coach Earl Grant, South Carolina men’s basketball defeated an ACC opponent for the second game in a row. 

After a 70-60 win over Virginia Tech, the Gamecocks continued their momentum with a 73-51 win over Boston College on Tuesday. They now move to 5-3 on the year and head back to Columbia this weekend with some momentum.

How it happened

From the jump, the South Carolina defense was smothering. After an early 6-6 tie into the first media timeout, Collin Murray-Boyles dunked shortly after. The Gamecocks would lead for the next 34-plus minutes of game-time. 

South Carolina’s sophomore forward was the star of the first half, as the Gamecocks offense found him inside constantly. Dominant on the boards, he had a double-double by halftime. That marked his second double-double of the 2024-25 season. 

The turning point in the first half happened after Chas Kelley made a layup with 7:18 to go. Then a 22-17 game, the Eagles didn’t score again for over six minutes. By that time, South Carolina had gone on a 11-0 run and led by sixteen. 

Eight Gamecocks put up points in the first half, and South Carolina led 36-19 at the halfway mark. The defense forced seven turnovers in the first twenty minutes compared to the Eagles’ three turnovers forced. Chad Venning scored 10 points for Boston College in the first half, while no other Eagle managed more than three. 

In the second half, the two teams looked more even-matched, but the Gamecocks lead was insurmountable.

For the rest of the game, the two teams mostly traded buckets. Despite the Eagles’ offense starting to show signs of life in the second, the Gamecocks lead grew. Morris Ugusuk and Myles Stute hit multiple three-pointers, and South Carolina continued to get to the line.

Boston College showed fatigue in the second half, while the Gamecocks continued to create space on offense and deny it on defense. Towards the end of the game, South Carolina opened up a 20-plus point lead.

Austin Herro was able to get time on the court towards the end of the game, with South Carolina ending up with a 73-51 victory.

Two observations

The defense is getting back into the swings of things—After giving up 75 points to Xavier, the Gamecock defense only surrendered 60 to Virginia Tech. On Tuesday, they smothered Boston College. The Eagles only managed 19 points in the first half, and struggled to put the ball in the basket the entire night. Boston College shot just 33.3% from the field, and only 12.5% from deep. That was the Eagles’ worst mark from three since a loss to UNC in 2023. In that game, Boston College shot 0-for-6 from three. Though Chad Venning scored 10 points to lead the Eagles in the first half, the Gamecocks held him to just two in the second.

Perimeter offense was clicking on all cylinders—South Carolina was able to hit its outside looks on Tuesday night. As a team, they shot 10-for-19, or 52.6%. They hadn’t shot the three at a clip >50% since last season’s victory over George Washington. That game, just like this one, ended with a 22-point Gamecocks win. Morris Ugusuk was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Of the eight Gamecocks that attempted a three, seven connected on at least one.

Key stat

16 assists—South Carolina’s offense looked like last year’s for about 40 minutes Tuesday night. The ball flowed well, and every Gamecocks starter recorded at least one assist. Players created space, and distributors found the open men. Jamarii Thomas and Jacobi Wright combined for eight assists. As a whole, Boston College only managed seven.

Turning point

An extended drought for the Boston College offense in the first half. Or, an extended shutout for the South Carolina defense. Two different ways of saying the same result. After the Eagles made the margin 22-17, they wouldn’t score for over six minutes. In that time, the Gamecocks managed 11 points. From that point on, it was all Gamecocks. South Carolina held on to a double-digit lead the rest of the game.

Up next

South Carolina will be back at home to face East Carolina on Saturday. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. on SEC Network Plus.