Jan. 13, 2010

Recap | Box Score | Quotes

· Records: South Carolina improves to 11-5 overall, 2-0 in SEC play. LSU falls to 9-7 overall, 0-2 in the SEC. The Gamecocks are 8-1 in games played at Colonial Life Arena this season. The Gamecocks now lead the all-time series 13-11, including a 6-5 edge in Columbia.

· Head Coach Darrin Horn: Improves to 143-63 in his seventh season as a collegiate coach, including a 32-15 mark in his second season at South Carolina.

· In the SEC: South Carolina opens 2-0 in SEC play for the first time since the 1996-97 season when the Gamecocks won their first 11 league games en route to a 15-1 mark and the program’s only SEC regular-season title. The Gamecocks improve to 8-11 all-time in SEC home openers.

· Trends: South Carolina is 9-0 on the season when holding their opponent under 70 points. The Gamecocks are also 6-0 when out-rebounding its opponent (SC won the rebounding battle 38-35).

· Two Milestones for Downey: Senior guard Devan Downey, with his sixth point midway through the first half, became the ninth player in Carolina history to score reach the 1,500-point plateau as a Gamecock, reaching the milestone midway through his third year with the program. With 29 points on 10-of-22 shooting tonight, he passed Art Whisnant (1,505 points from 1959-62) and Jim Slaughter (1,521 points from 1947-51) to move into seventh place on the school’s all-time scoring list; Downey’s career total now stands at 1,523. Carlos Powell, who played at Carolina from 2001-05, is next on the list with 1,541 points.

· More on Downey: In addition to his 29 points, the senior from Chester, S.C., finished the night with seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. He has hit for double figures in 15 of 16 games this season and has topped the 20-point mark on seven occasions, including four of his last five games.

· Gamecock Defense: LSU had averaged 4.6 three-point field goals per game coming into tonight’s game; they finished with just one trey on seven attempts. In two SEC games, opposing teams have made a combined 3 three-pointers on 19 attempts against the Gamecocks.

· Long Range Bombers: By contrast, South Carolina has hit 22-of-57 three-point attempts in its two SEC contests, knocking down 11 in both games against Auburn and LSU. Downey had six of the Gamecocks’ treys tonight, with Brandis Raley-Ross and Evka Baniulis adding two apiece and Sam Muldrow knocking down one.