South Carolina basketball coach Frank Martin likes the aggressive approach his team displayed its last time out.
Martin would just like to see it for 40 minutes, however.
After posting a 66-63 win over UAB, the Gamecocks (3-1) return to action Tuesday to face in-state opponent Wofford in Columbia, S.C.
Martin’s team led the high-scoring Blazers by 16 in the second half, but the coach said his group let down its guard, played passively and had to rely on Devin Carter’s four free throws in the last five seconds to hang on.
“We got really passive offensively and then that led to not attacking, which then allowed us to play on our heels defensively,” Martin said.
“Give (UAB) credit. I thought we were really good defensively for a while and when we got passive, they smelled it. They attacked us. They started making shots and beating us off the bounce.”
However, Carter’s heroics saved the night and helped South Carolina record its second straight win.
Jermaine Couisnard is averaging a team-leading 13.5 points, while Wildens Leveque (11.8), Erik Stevenson (11.3), James Reese V (10.5) and Carter (10.3) follow closely behind.
Tuesday’s contest will be the final one served by Keyshawn Bryant, who is finishing a five-game suspension. He averaged 14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds last season.
Playing Sunday at home in the Terrier Classic, host Wofford posted a 70-52 victory over Georgia Southern to win the tournament.
The Terriers (4-1) started slowly but gained momentum. They secured a five-point lead at halftime before outscoring the Eagles 41-28 over the final 20 minutes for the victory.
Ryan Larson tied his career-high with 19 points — including 5-of-8 from long distance. He also dished out three assists and drew three charging fouls.
B.J. Mack collected 17 points and six rebounds, while Max Klesmit added 13 and five, respectively.
“(Mack’s) Mr. Versatile,” coach Jay McAuley told the school website after Friday’s 77-60 win over Hampton. “We feed him on the perimeter as well as inside. The guy’s getting rebounds, assisting and knocking down free throws.”
Messiah Jones rolled his ankle in the first half and did not play the rest of the game. He appeared with a set of crutches on the bench.
–Field Level Media
