South Carolina falls to Wofford, 81-61

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Nathan Hoover made nine 3-pointers and scored a career-high 30 points to help Wofford take down South Carolina, 81-61, on Monday night.

Wofford used South Carolina’s rocky starts to each half to rout the Gamecocks.

The Gamecocks trailed 19-6 in the first and 44-31 in the second before they found their offense, but the Terriers always seemed to have an answer. All-American candidate Fletcher Magee, held to zero points in the first half due to tight defense from South Carolina’s Hassani Gravett, scored eight points out of the locker room to give Wofford (5-2) a double-digit lead.

Like it did in the first half, South Carolina (3-3) came back but couldn’t quite get ahead. The Gamecocks got within two points with 11 minutes to play but Wofford scored the next seven points. Chris Silva struggled again with just eight points and freshman star A.J. Lawson was scoreless with foul trouble.

The Gamecocks were led by Felipe Haase and Maik Kotsar, who each scored 13 points.

KEY STATS
> Wofford shot 55 percent (22-for-40) in the second half. The Terriers knocked down 13 3s in the game, shooting nearly 50 percent from behind the arc.
 
NOTABLES
> Junior forward Maik Kotsar tallied his second career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds – he matched a single-game career high with two made 3s.
> Sophomore big man Felipe Haase also scored 13 points, marking his first game in double figures this season (eighth career). He matched his career high with three 3s.
> Junior Hassani Gravett played a game-high 39 minutes, scoring 11 points with six rebounds. He guarded Wofford’s leading scorer, Fletcher Magee (18.5 ppg), holding him to just eight points on 3-of-15 shooting.

UP NEXT
The Gamecocks conclude their brief homestand when they host Coastal Carolina on Friday night.  The matchup will tip at 7 p.m., and be broadcast on the SEC Network with Kevin Fitzgerald (pxp) and Dane Bradshaw (analyst) on the call.