MBB: Gamecocks fall at Georgia 69-56
South Carolina's road woes continued with a loss at Georgia. Sindarius Thornwell and Michael Carrera both had double-doubles in the losing effort.
It was a familiar storyline for the Gamecocks, who would have lost their fourth straight conference road games if not for a miraculous comeback against Ole Miss. The Gamecocks couldn't buy a bucket, while the opponent got hot from three. Turn the ball over, miss free throws, and get beat on the glass. Each dismal plot point was there.
South Carolina shot just 6-28 from the floor in the first half as Georgia built a ten-point halftime lead. South Carolina turned the ball over nine times, contributing to nine Georgia points, and was outrebounded by a smaller Georgia team.
As shots began to fall, the Gamecocks made a run in the second half. An 8-0 run cut the deficit to five, and the Gamecocks would pull within three points three times. In perhaps the game's pivotal moment, after a baseline drive by Thornwell made the score 46-43, the Gamecocks had a golden chance to pull even closer. Freshman Jamall Gregory blocked a three-point attempt by Charles Mann, and Gregory and Duane Notice sprinted out on a two-on-one break. But Gregory tripped over his own feet passing the ball to Notice, and J.J. Frazier stole the pass to stop the break. On the other end, Mann was fouled and made both free throws to stretch the lead back out to five.
A three-pointer by Notice moments later pulled South Carolina within two, the closest it would get in the second half, but the momentum was gone. Georgia outscored South Carolina 19-8 in the final six minutes of the game behind big baskets from Kenny Gaines and Frazier.
Yante Maten led the Bulldogs with 18 points, while Gaines (17), Frazier (13), and Mann (11) all chipped in with double figures. The Bulldogs won the two categories most important to Frank Martin. They outrebounded the Gamecocks 43-38 and made and attempted more free throws.
Thornwell led South Carolina with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Carrera had a solid game with 11 points and 10 rebounds, but never got his shot going and fouled out in the final minute. They got very little help from the rest of the team. Mindaugas Kacinas and Laimonas Chatkevicius were the next highest scorers with seven points apiece.
Notes:
Chris Silva made his second career start. He struggled with early foul trouble and only had three points and three rebounds before fouling out. ... Raymond Doby saw action in the first half and played six minutes. He has played in each of the last two games after only playing once in the previous eight. ... Marcus Stroman played six minutes in the first half but did not play in the second half. ... South Carolina stays on the road this weekend with a game at Texas A&M Saturday.
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