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Men's Hoops Set For Friday Night Matchup Against Coastal Carolina
Men's Basketball  . 

Men's Hoops Set For Friday Night Matchup Against Coastal Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina concludes its brief homestand when it hosts Coastal Carolina on Friday night at Colonial Life Arena.  Tip off versus the Chanticleers is set for 7 p.m. ET, with the contest broadcast on the SEC Network with Kevin Fitzgerald (play-by-play) and Dane Bradshaw (analyst) on the call.

STARTING FIVE
> South Carolina is back in action on Friday against another intrastate rival, after suffering an 81-61 loss on Monday to visiting Wofford.  The Terriers were led by a career high 30 points from guard Nathan Hoover, which was the result of nine made 3-pointers and a perfect 3-of-3 performance at the free throw line.
> It was announced before Monday’s matchup vs. Wofford that sophomore forward Justin Minaya would be out indefinitely after suffering a right knee injury in practice on Nov. 25.  Minaya will undergo surgery this week and remains out indefinitely.
> Junior forward Maik Kotsar collected his second-career double-double with  team highs of 13 points and 10 rebounds.  Senior guard Hassani Gravett, who entered the starting lineup for the injured Minaya, added 11 points, and sophomore forward Felipe Haase scored 13, the result of matching a career high with three made 3s.
> Rookie guard A.J. Lawson earned the first weekly honor of his career in the Garnet and Black when he was named the SEC’s Freshman of the Week on Nov. 19 after averaging 15.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists against Norfolk State, Providence and George Washington the previous week.  The honor marked the first Freshman of the Week award for Carolina since Sindarius Thornwell earned the accolade on March 10, 2014.
> A quick look ahead, Carolina travels to Wyoming for a matchup with the Cowboys next Wednesday (Dec. 5), before heading to Ann Arbor for a Saturday matinee with No. 7/5 Michigan (Dec. 8).  Following the break for final exams on campus, the Gameocks welcome No. 4/4 Virginia (Dec. 19) and rival No. RV/24 Clemson (Dec. 22) to Columbia before the holiday break.

THROUGH THE FIRST SIX GAMES…
> Despite a scoreless outing vs. Wofford, rookie guard A.J. Lawson continues to pace the Gamecocks in points (13.2) and assists per game (4.0) … Senior forward Chris Silva is the only other Gamecocks in double figures at 10.3 points per game … Silva’s 5.8 rebounds are a team high, while he and junior Maik Kotsar both have six blocks this season … Senior guard Hassani Gravett is currently averaging a team high 28.2 minutes per game after a season high 39 minutes of court action vs. Wofford … Gravett’s 10 3s on the year are also a team high, followed by Lawson’s nine and Campbell’s eight … Carolina is ranked 35th nationally, holding opponents to just 38.1 percent from the field.

SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
> The Gamecocks have not won consecutive games yet this season, splitting the first six contests with back and forth wins and losses.
> As a team, Carolina is holding opponents to 38.1 percent from the field, and 34.8 percent from 3-point range.  
> Eight Gamecocks average at least 7.0 points per game, and nine aveage at least 16 minutes per game.
> Among freshmen in the SEC, A.J. Lawson’s 13.2 points per game rank fifth.
> Prior to his injury, sophomore forward Justin Minaya has been very active around the rim early this season.  He is averaging 5.6 rebounds per outing, +1.2 on his career average, and he has connected on 13-of-18 (72.2%) of his 2-point attempts this season.
> 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 CHANTICLEERS
> Coastal is led by head coach Cliff Ellis in his 12th season at the helm of the Chanticleer program.
> CCU is 4-3 on the season and 1-2 in away games.
> Coastal’s four wins have come against Ferrum, at Campbell, vs. UNC Asheville and most recently against Methodist.
> Including Friday’s tilt with South Carolina, Coastal has played six of its first eight games away from home.
> Senior forward Zac Cuthbertson leads the team in points (19.9), rebounds (9.3) and assists (3.7) per game.
> In CCU’s most recent win, an 88-57 decision at home vs. Methodist, Cuthbertson led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and junior guard Amidou Bamba finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

COMING UP NEXT
Carolina hits the road for a pair of non-conference contests next week.  First, a Wednesday matchup at Wyoming, before traveling to Ann Arbor, Mich., for a Saturday contest against the Wolverines.  The matchups will be broadcast on Stadium, and FS1, respectively.    

NUMBERS TO KNOW
17 – Senior forward Chris Silva needs just 17 rebounds to crack the Gamecock top 10 in the career category.  He has 667 career rebounds, an average of 6.2 per game.
10 – Gravett’s 10 3-pointers on the year are a team high.  He has hit 10-of-25 attempts – 40.0% percent from beyond the arc.
11.5 – Rookie guard T.J. Moss returned from injury vs. Norfolk State, and contributed a 3, but he exploded at the Mohegan Sun, averaging 11.5 per game in the two matchups vs. Providence and GW.
6-11 – Moss has connected on six of his first 11 attempts from 3-point range this season.
38.1% – South Carolina ranks 35th nationally in field goal percentage defense thus far in 2018-19, holding opponents to just 38.1 percent from the field.