Kory Mincy didn’t run the show for South Carolina on Sunday afternoon. He finished it.
After spending much of the exhibition getting overshadowed by Campbell guard Rashawn Inglemon, Mincy delivered the decisive burst late, scoring a basket, picking off a steal and knocking down two free throws as the Gamecocks pulled away for a 77-68 win at Colonial Life Arena.
For most of the game, Campbell had the upper hand. Inglemon was the main problem, pouring in 29 points on 12-of-21 shooting while helping the Camels lead for long stretches. Campbell also pushed its advantage to as many as nine points and was still ahead by one with 5:12 left.
But South Carolina finished with a 16-2 run, flipping a one-point halftime deficit into a nine-point win with the real season less than two weeks away.
"We play these exhibition games for a reason and we've gotten a lot of different styles. We've been tested in a lot of different ways, so there's been some good stuff," fifth-year had coach Lamont Paris said after the win.
" But I thought we got out of sorts a little bit with a lot of guys trying to do a lot of things. We had a particular way that we would have our best successes against this team and when we did that, we scored well.
When we got out of that, we didn't score as well. (The Camels) were ready to go and ready to play and excited and energetic, and they played harder than us, especially early on in the game.
But we got things together, settled down a little bit."
The early tone belonged to Campbell. The Camels built a nine-point cushion by the 9:48 mark of the first half, when Caleb Mcabee finished a layup to keep them comfortably in front. South Carolina spent the rest of the half chipping away.
Juan Fernandez sparked that push with 11 points over the final 9:24 before halftime, including a personal 7-2 spurt that briefly put the Gamecocks in front. Even so, Inglemon answered right before the horn with a three-pointer that sent Campbell into the break holding a 36-35 lead.
"They were just playing extremely hard" Paris said. "It's not like we were playing lazily, I wouldn't say that, but they came out of the gates like they were trying to hit a home run.
We had a little casualness to us early, and that gave them life. Then, when you do that and a guy starts to get going, and you got a couple guys who made some hard shots … I was a little surprised because that's been our calling card."
Inglemon had 19 points by halftime, while Fernandez matched the intensity with 17. Both kept scoring after the break, and each finished with a big night: Inglemon with 29, Fernandez with 28.
"They were playing harder than us," Fernandez said. "I think we changed that in the second half. We have to learn from our mistakes and don't repeat it in the season."
Campbell kept pressing in the second half and stretched the lead back out to seven points as late as the 12:20 mark. Shane Blakeney helped trim it down, connecting on two of his four 3-pointers as South Carolina got back within a point.
"It felt good to be back out there and have fun playing basketball," Blakeney said. "I think what worked well for us was we let the game come to us, listened to coach's game plan and tried to take it play by play."
From there, the game tightened into a one- or two-possession battle until South Carolina finally broke it open late. Mincy’s closing sequence pushed the margin to seven points with 19 seconds left and sealed the comeback.
He shot 4-of-11, added five assists, three turnovers and three steals, and still ended up as the man who settled the game when it mattered most.
"He didn't play great," Paris said of Mincy. "Whether he plays poorly or plays really well, he never shirks any responsibility. I haven't seen a young person do that in a long time, so that's the first step to being able to bounce back in the same game."
In Other News...
South Carolina Now Faces A Costly Williams-Brice Decision
The celebration after South Carolinas upset win over No. 11 Tennessee came with a hefty price tag at Williams-Brice Stadium. Roughly 30,000 fans rushed the field, and the surge left the Ligustrum hedges behind the north end zone badly damaged, turning a memorable night into a maintenance problem for the athletic department.
Head groundskeeper Tim Flanagan said the damage was extensive, and replacing the hedges could cost a substantial amount, with repair decisions still pending. It was the third field storm of Shane Beamers tenure, following similar scenes in 2022 and 2024, another reminder that the Gamecocks biggest emotional wins can leave a lasting mark beyond the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolinas Next SEC Test Just Got A Lot More Real
South Carolinas next SEC home test now has a firmer feel to it, with Texas A&M set to visit on Nov. 7 for a 3 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. The matchup lands just after the Gamecocks Oct. 31 date with Oklahoma, giving Shane Beamers team a chance to reset before another league game that figures to carry plenty of weight in the late-season race.
Texas A&M will arrive with a week off in hand, while South Carolina will be coming through a stretch that already includes recent results and the Oklahoma game on deck. In a conference schedule where every slot seems to matter a little more as November approaches, the TV window and kickoff time only sharpen the attention on what comes next at home. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolinas Newest Commit Could Answer A Big Frontcourt Need
South Carolina added another piece to its recruiting class with the commitment of Johnson, a promising interior prospect who could eventually help address a need in the frontcourt. She joins point guards Jezelle Banks and Taylor Brown as the third player in the class, giving the Gamecocks another young building block as they look ahead to future roster construction.
Johnson brings a productive high school rsum from Biloxi High School, where she averaged 14.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game as a junior. She has already cleared 1,000 career points and rebounds, and while she may need time to adjust to the college game, her size and physical tools give South Carolina something to work with in the paint. [Read more 🡒]