South Carolina returned to Colonial Life Arena on Monday afternoon, taking care of business against South Carolina State in a fast-paced matchup that saw the Gamecocks impose their will on both ends of the floor. After a tough loss to Clemson earlier in the week, this was the kind of bounce-back performance Lamont Paris and his squad needed heading into the holiday break.
From the opening tip, South Carolina looked locked in. Forward Keshawn Kellman set the tone early with physical play in the paint, while Myles Stute knocked down the Gamecocks’ first three-pointer to get the offense rolling.
South Carolina State kept it close in the early minutes, even tying the game at 5-5 with a deep three late in the shot clock. But after that, the Gamecocks gradually began to stretch the lead.
By the first media timeout, South Carolina had built a 12-7 advantage. The Bulldogs hung around, trimming the deficit to just two midway through the first half, but a pair of free throws from Grant Polk ended a scoring drought and helped the Gamecocks settle back in. Meechie Johnson then found his rhythm as a facilitator, threading a slick assist that led to a layup and sparked a run that pushed the lead to eight.
Polk, who was steady all afternoon, found his stroke from deep late in the first half. Back-to-back threes from the sophomore gave South Carolina some breathing room, and a strong finish to the half-including a pair of free throws from Keshawn Sharavjamts-sent the Gamecocks into the locker room up 46-33.
Coming out of halftime, South Carolina wasted no time reasserting control. B.J.
Knox hit two free throws to open the half, and while South Carolina State tried to claw back with a timely three, the Gamecocks answered right away. Sharavjamts threw down a powerful dunk, and Polk buried his third triple of the game to stretch the lead to 16.
The Bulldogs made a brief push midway through the second half, with Jayden Johnson-who had a strong offensive showing-scoring back-to-back buckets to cut the lead to 11. But just when it looked like South Carolina State might make things interesting, the Gamecocks responded with poise. Sharavjamts’ dunk reignited the crowd, and Polk’s hot hand from distance gave the Gamecocks some cushion once again.
As the second half wore on, South Carolina’s depth and physicality began to wear down the visitors. Eli Ellis converted an and-one to extend the lead to 19, and Knox followed with an and-one of his own to push the advantage to 25.
Even as Johnson continued to score for the Bulldogs-hitting his 10th bucket of the night with a deep three-South Carolina had an answer every time. Elijah Strong responded with an and-one, and Stute stepped to the line for a pair of free throws out of a timeout, keeping the Gamecocks comfortably in control down the stretch.
In the end, South Carolina closed out a convincing win, using a balanced offensive attack and timely defense to put away a scrappy South Carolina State team. For a group that’s been through some ups and downs early in the season, this was a much-needed performance-one that showed flashes of what this team can be when it’s clicking.
With SEC play looming, the Gamecocks will look to build on this momentum. Monday’s win wasn’t perfect, but it was a step in the right direction-and a reminder that when this team shares the ball, defends with energy, and knocks down shots, they’re capable of making some noise.