Men's Hoops Posts 83-64 Victory Over Costa Rica On Monday

Aug. 9, 2016

COSTA RICA – The South Carolina men’s basketball team posted an 83-64 win versus the Costa Rica National Team on Monday night in the second meeting between the two squads this week. The Gamecocks are currently on a six-day foreign tour in the country. Prior to the matchup, Carolina explored the city of San José and hosted a clinic for Special Olympics.

Senior guard Justin McKie led the Gamecocks with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while freshman forward Maik Kotsar added 14 points and senior guard Duane Notice posted 13. Senior guard Sindarius Thornwell also pulled down seven rebounds in the win.

“I thought we played at a good tempo in the game,” associate head coach Matt Figger said of Monday night’s matchup. “We were able to run and score in transition. I think we did a good job of attacking the paint from passing it inside to driving and kicking for open shots. It was a very physical game and I felt like our guys did a good job of handling the officiating and adjusting to how they were calling the game. The National Team came and played with a lot of passion and physicality because it was the second time playing us and they had a better feel for how we play. I thought our effort was the same as it has been since we started practicing for this tour – really good. We got good minutes and leadership from our returning guys and our new guys played better than I expected.”

The Gamecocks spent the afternoon exploring downtown San José before hosting a clinic for Special Olympics. Gamecock head coach Frank Martin introduced the Gamecocks to begin the clinic, before attendees spent time with the team and staff, participating in relay races and other basketball drills.

South Carolina travels to Playa Conchal on Tuesday, a coastal city within the Province of Guanacaste, where the squad will do team building activities and explore the region. The Gamecocks return to San José on Thursday and will hold a combined practice with the Costa Rica National Team that evening, before returning to Columbia on Friday.

Continue to visit GamecocksOnline.com for updates on the foreign tour.