South Carolina Basketball: Gamecocks knock off tough in-state foe to move to 10-1
By Kevin Miller
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South Carolina Basketball vs. Winthrop:
Statistics, Scoring, and Observations
After a tough game in which they beat a bad Charleston Southern team by just 4 points, the South Carolina basketball squad came out against Winthrop and won another close game against a Big South opponent as the Gamecocks topped the Eagles 72-62 to move to 10-1.
Here are the stats from the game:
STATS
Winthrop
Points
Leader: Kelton Talford with 20
Rebounds
Leader: Chase Claxton with 7
Assists
Leader: Kasen Harrison with 4
Steals
Leader: Kelton Talford and Kasen Harrison each with 2
Blocks
Leader: KJ Doucet with 2
Other
The Eagles made 23-29 free throws, while the Gamecocks shot just 12 attempts from the line
South Carolina
Points
Leader: Meechie Johnson with 20
Rebounds
Leader: BJ Mack with 7
Assists
Leader: Meechie Johnson with 5
Steals
Leader: Zach Davis and Jacobi Wright each with 2
Blocks
Leader: BJ Mack with 2
Other
The Gamecocks struggled again from outside as they shot 6-26 from 3; USC also shot under 40% from the field; Carolina shot (and made) 12 free throws, while Winthrop shot 29
OBSERVATIONS
- Starters: Ta’Lon Cooper-Meechie Johnson-Myles Stute-BJ Mack-Stephen Clark
- Clark left the game after 5 minutes and did not return the rest of the 1st half.
- Morris Ugusuk was limping around some in the 1st half. He had an injured knee and ankle earlier this season. He remained in the game and seemed to be okay.
- BJ Mack was not aggressive in the 1st half, though, he did have 4 rebounds. His 4 points on 5 shots and 2 turnovers were a problem early. Collin Murray-Boyles and Zach Davis also looked out of sorts.
- The Gamecocks could not get to the free throw line. Meechie Johnson (2-2) was the only USC player to attempt shots from the charity stripe in the first 20 minutes.
- Ta'Lon Cooper had a much better 2nd half, scoring and rebounding when most other Gamecocks were struggling to do so.
- None of the Gamecocks' post players were particularly good for the game, but Stephen Clark and Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk both had some nice moments of hard-working basketball.
- Free throws were a major topic of conversation during the game as Winthrop shot 29 of them compared to South Carolina basketball's 12. However, Carolina made all 12 of their attempts.
- In the final 5 minutes, the Gamecocks made all four of their field goal attempts (3 layups from Meechie Johnson, BJ Mack, and Jacobi Wright and a 3-pointer from Ta'Lon Cooper) and 6 free throws (4 for Johnson, 2 for Mack).