South Carolina shook off a sluggish start and rallied from a halftime deficit to overwhelm visiting Radford in the second half of a 74-48 rout on Sunday in Columbia, S.C.
A 23-2 run spanning the game’s final 10:06 powered the Gamecocks (9-3) to their sixth consecutive win. South Carolina held Radford without a point for the final 6:18.
Jamarii Thomas scored 11 of his game-high 18 points after intermission, which included hitting 3-of-3 from 3-point range following the break to finish 4-of-6 for the game.
South Carolina knocked down 6 of 15 shots from beyond the arc in the second half, keying the Gamecocks’ turnaround after making 3 of 15 3-point attempts in the first half.
Radford (10-5), meanwhile, shot 0-of-5 from outside and just 5-of-24 from the floor over the final 20 minutes. The Highlanders shot an unspectacular 14-of-31 from the floor in the first half, but TJ Nesmith’s 5-for-5 performance from the field for 12 points off the bench helped key Radford to a 36-30 halftime lead.
The Highlanders clung to a 42-40 lead with 14:12 remaining in regulation after Ibu Yamazaki’s basket, but the wheels began to come off for Radford at that juncture.
Nesmith managed only two more points in the second half to finish with a team-high 14. Jarvis Moss, who scored 10 points in the first half, went scoreless in the second.
Collin Murray-Boyles scored 15 points for South Carolina and grabbed seven rebounds to contribute to the Gamecocks’ 42-24 advantage on the glass. Nick Pringle, who scored 10 of his 12 points on a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line, also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.
Zachary Davis, who scored eight points off the bench for South Carolina, did all of his damage in the second half. He shot 4-for-4 at the foul line, helping the Gamecocks to a 25-for-27 day at the charity stripe to just 8-of-13 for Radford.
–Field Level Media
