South Carolina basketball wins the first game in 28 days.
Junior guard AJ Lawson scored the team with 25 points, the record of the season, helping the Gamecocks achieve a 78-71 victory over Florida A&M last Saturday. Lawson made 9 of 16 attempts and hit two free throws in the final seconds of the game to ensure victory.
South Carolina seemed rusty in some parts of the competition, which was to be expected, after almost a month without playing. Due to outbreaks of COVID in the locker room, Gamecocks have been inactive since a December 5 meeting with Houston. The effects could also be seen in this confrontation, with South Carolina having only nine players available, but it was nice to see Frank Martin’s group back in action.
The team was forced to cancel consecutive competitions with Clemson, Wofford, South Carolina State and Kentucky. The program is still working on rescheduling games against Clemson and Kentucky, but it will not do the other two fights.
The Gamecocks maintained their biggest advantage in the middle of the second half, with a 57-50 lead, but the Rattlers resisted and used an 8-0 run to take the lead in the end. Lawson did not let the game go, however, punching a three with less than four minutes remaining to give South Carolina a 68-66 lead that they would not lose.
Gamecocks shot well on the field, hitting 41.4% of attempts. They caused most of the paint damage, where they overcame Florida A&M from 40 to 26. They still need to work on the outside shot, as South Carolina converted just 8 of 27 from three points. They also had problems on the line, making only 12 of 20 free throws.
Lawson led the way, with Justin Minaya and Jermaine Couisnard also double-digitizing. Minaya made a double-double, adding 10 rebounds and adding his 10 points, while Couisnard led the team with five assists.
Believe it or not, this was the Gamecocks’ first home game. With the victory, South Carolina improves to 2-2, as it prepares for the opening of the SEC conference against Texas A&M. The Aggies enter a 6-2 overall record, coming from a 68-66 win over Auburn in a conference game.
Florida A&M dropped to 1-6 in the season.