Gamecocks Hosts Norfolk State Tuesday Night

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina is back in action on Tuesday when it hosts Norfolk State at Colonial Life Arena.  Tip off for the contest, which is part of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament, is set for 7 p.m. vs. the Spartans.

STARTING FIVE
> Carolina looks to rebound after suffering an 83-81 loss last Friday in its most recent outing vs. Stony Brook.  Rookie guard A.J. Lawson scored a season high 23 points to go along with six assists and three steals, all team highs, but Stony Brook out-rebounded the home team 49-33 and blocked a final shot attempt at the buzzer to secure the win.
> The Gamecocks will play three games this week that are part of the Naismith Hall of Fame Tip-Off, starting with Tuesday’s matchup vs. Norfolk State in Columbia.
> The Carolina newcomers of Lawson (23), graduate transfer guard Tre Campbell (15) and rookie forward Keyshawn Bryant (9) accounted for 47 Gamecock points vs. Stony Brook.
> After not hitting a 3-pointer in the season opener vs. USC Upstate, the Gamecocks answered vs. Stony Brook, connecting on nine 3s, including four from Campbell and three from Lawson.
> Lawson’s eight makes from the floor vs. Stony Brook marked the most made field goals in a game by a Carolina freshman since then-rookie guard Sindarius Thornwell connected on nine made field goals in a Carolina win at Mississippi State on March 8, 2014.

#’s TO KNOW
12 – Senior forward Chris Silva tallied 12 points and pulled down nine rebounds in the first game of his Carolina career against Norfolk State on Nov. 14, 2015
6 – Rookie guard A.J. Lawson’s six assists vs. Stony Brook on Nov. 9 marked the most in a game by a Carolina freshman since PJ Dozier also dished six vs. Tennessee on Feb. 24, 2016.
35.9% – Carolina has held its first two opponents to a combined 35.9% from the field (46-of-128), which ranks fifth in the SEC and 69th nationally.
39 – Senior forward Chris Silva needs just 39 rebounds to crack the Gamecock top 10 in the career category.  He has 645 career rebounds, an average of 6.2 per game.

SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
> A pair of freshmen lead the Gamecocks in scoring through the first two games of the season, as rookie guard A.J. Lawson paces the team with 16.0 points per game and rookie forward Keyshawn Bryant adds 15.0 per outing.  Bryant recorded a team high 21 points in the opener vs. USC Upstate, and Lawson led the squad with 23 points vs. Stony Brook.
> Senior forward Chris Silva has been to the free throw line 19 times through the first two games of the season, which ranks 17th nationally and leads the SEC.
> Carolina has been to the foul line 63 times through two games, compared to just 33 times by opponents.
> Graduate transfer guard Tre Campbell recorded a career high 35 minutes of action in the contest vs. Stony Brook.  He scored 15 points, paced by four 3-pointers, which was just one shy of matching his career high in the category.
> South Carolina returns seven letterwinners from last season’s 17-16 squad, including senior guard Hassani Gravett and senior forward Chris Silva.
> Carolina welcomes eight newcomers to its roster this season, including a pair of transfers and six freshmen student-athletes.  Jair Bolden (transfer/George Washington/guard), graduate transfer Tre Campbell (transfer/Georgetown/guard), Keyshawn Bryant (freshman/guard), Jermaine Couisnard (freshman/guard), Alanzo Frink (freshman/forward), A.J. Lawson (freshman/guard), T.J. Moss (freshman/guard) and Nathan Nelson (freshman/forward) join the Garnet and Black this fall.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
> Norfolk State is 2-1 on the season after suffering a 63-44 loss on the road at Michigan to start the season, before rebounding with wins over Mid-Atlantic Christian and Clarion.  
> Junior guard Nic Thomas has been the Spartans’ top scorer vs. both Michigan (9) and Clarion (19).
> NSU head coach Robert Jones is in his sixth season leading the Spartans.
> Norfolk State has forced its opponents to 61 turnovers through three games, 20.3 per game, which ranks 39th nationally.
> Thomas paces the team with 13.7 points per game this season, while freshman guard C.J. Kelly is also in double figures at 11.0 per outing.

COMING UP NEXT
Carolina heads to the Mohegan Sun Arena this weekend for a pair of matchups to conclude the Naismith Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament.  The Gamecocks face Providence on Saturday, before facing either George Washington or Michigan on Sunday.