South Carolina basketball: Gamecocks take down Rattlers
By Jacob Elsey
South Carolina basketball picks up win in 1st game in 28 days.
Junior guard AJ Lawson paced the team with a season-high 25 points, helping the Gamecocks land a 78-71 win over Florida A&M this past Saturday. Lawson made 9-of-16 attempts, and sank two free throws in the game’s final seconds to secure the victory.
South Carolina looked rusty at points in the contest, which was to be expected after having not played a game in nearly a month. Due to COVID outbreaks within the locker room, the Gamecocks had been inactive since a December 5th meeting with Houston. The effects could be seen in this matchup, too, with South Carolina having only nine players available, but it was good to see Frank Martin’s group back in action.
The team was forced to cancel consecutive contests with Clemson, Wofford, South Carolina State, and Kentucky. The program is still working on rescheduling the games versus Clemson and Kentucky, but will not make up the other two matchups.
The Gamecocks held their largest lead midway through the second half, holding a 57-50 advantage, but the Rattlers hung in and used an 8-0 run to take a late lead. Lawson wouldn’t let the game slip away, though, drilling a three with less than four minutes remaining to give South Carolina a 68-66 lead that they’d not relinquish.
The Gamecocks shot well from the field, connecting on 41.4% of their attempts. They did most of their damage in the paint, where they outscored Florida A&M 40 to 26. They still need to work on outside shooting though, as South Carolina converted on just 8-of-27 three-pointers. They also struggled at the line, making just 12-of-20 free throws.
Lawson led the way, with Justin Minaya and Jermaine Couisnard also chipping in double figures. Minaya recorded a double-double, adding 10 rebounds to go along with his 10 points, while Couisnard led the team with five assists.
Believe it or not, this was the Gamecocks’ first home matchup. With the win, South Carolina improves to 2-2, as it gears up for its SEC conference opener versus Texas A&M. The Aggies enter with a 6-2 overall record, coming off of a 68-66 win over Auburn in conference play.
Florida A&M fell to 1-6 on the season.