South Carolina uses big second-half to pull away from USC Upstate

South Carolina, facing off against an in-state opponent, won its fourth game in a row. 

Heavy favorites at home, South Carolina continued their streak with a 73-53 win over USC Upstate. Here’s how it went down.

How it happened

South Carolina was able to score at a high rate during their first several possessions, generating open looks both inside and out. By the time the first media timeout came around, the Gamecocks led 14-8. Nick Pringle had six points in the first six minutes. 

A run early in the first half, capped by a Collin Murray-Boyles dunk, extended the Gamecocks’ lead to 19-8. South Carolina would lead by multiple possessions the rest of the game. 

The offense slowed down towards the middle of the first half, with South Carolina shooting 2-8 from the field following a 7-9 start. With 7:53 remaining in the first half, the Gamecocks led 24-13. 

The game was stopped for several minutes in the first half after Spartans player Brit Harris was injured. After a dunk, Harris made contact with Myles Stute under the basket, and fell on his head/neck, appearing unconscious for a few minutes. The medical staff assisted him and he left on a stretcher following a delay of roughly ten minutes. Harris was able to move his arms, but had a brace on his neck as he was stretchered off. 

The Spartans fought back in the final minutes, using a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 35-28 by the end of the first. Breylin Garcia scored eight points in the first half and eight rebounds, both team-highs. Collin Murray-Boyles and Nick Pringle led the Gamecocks with eight points a piece and the break. Murray-Boyles also paced the team with seven rebounds, while Jacobi Wright led the team with four assists. 

In the second half, South Carolina was dominant inside on offense, with Collin Murray-Boyles and Nick Pringle scoring multiple times early. The Gamecocks defense was pest-like, giving up just a few shots in the first ten minutes of the second half.

[GamecockCentral: Subscribe for $1 for 7 days]

Nick Pringle had arguably his best eight minutes as a Gamecock in the first part of the second half. The senior had seven points in eight minutes, including an and-1. After a goaltending call on Pringle was reversed minutes after it happened, Cam Scott hit two free throws to extend the lead to 52-36. That was the Gamecocks’ biggest lead of the afternoon at the time.

South Carolina continued to step up on both ends of the court. In a period of five minutes between 14:09 and 8:46 remaining, South Carolina outscored the Spartans 16-6. This brought the lead to an insurmountable 20-point margin.

From there, South Carolina was able to determine the game’s tempo and remain constant on both ends. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Gamecocks walked away with a 73-53 win, their fourth in a row. Nick Pringle led the way with 19 points, with Collin Murray-Boyles, Jacobi Wright, and Jamarii Thomas also in double-digits. Murray-Boyles ended the game with three steals, and Jacobi Wright led with six assists.

Two observations

The big men ate in the paint— Collin Murray-Boyles and Nick Pringle were putting in work on Saturday. The duo finished with a combined 32 points and 17 rebounds. The sophomore Murray-Boyles had his third straight double-double. Against an undersized opponent, Pringle’s size showed in a big way. On offense, the ball was distributed and found a home inside the paint. On defense, Pringle and Murray-Boyles clogged the lane and prevented the Spartans from driving and slashing in. Both Pringle and Murray-Boyles collected multiple blocks.

[Get our free newsletter! Don’t rely on search engines and social media for your Gamecock info.]

Forcing turnovers? Check. —  South Carolina’s defense didn’t come into the game high in the forcing turnovers department. But they did so on Saturday with a solid all-around defensive performance. The Gamecocks forced the Spartans into 14 turnovers. It led to an increased offensive output, with the Gamecocks scoring 16 points off turnovers compared to the Spartans’ two.

Key stat

One— In the first half, the Spartans made just one three-point attempt. Their leading scorer, freshman Mister Dean, scored just one point in the first half. Murray-Boyles and Pringle were able to clog the lane to prevent the star freshman from scoring early. However, forward Breylin Garcia was able to record eight rebounds in the first half, and scored eight down low. The Spartans only had the one three-pointer all afternoon, with not a single deep ball going in in the second half.

Turning point

Cam Scott got into the game with the Gamecocks up just over 10 points in the second half. He hit a shot from midrange, then hit both free throws in a trip to the line. From that point on, South Carolina’s lead stayed in the double-digit range, reaching as high as 23 points. The freshman ended up with seven points, his career-high.  

Up next

South Carolina will be back at home to face Clemson on Tuesday. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. on SEC Network.

Discuss South Carolina basketball on The Insiders Forum!