Gamecocks Suffer 97-76 Road Loss At Georgia

Jan. 22, 2014

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ATHENS, Ga. – South Carolina (7-11, 0-5 SEC) suffered a 97-76 loss on the road in SEC play at Georgia (10-7, 4-1 SEC) on Wednesday night. Freshman guard Sindarius Thornwellscored a season high 26 points to lead four Gamecocks in double figures in the contest.

Thornwell netted his fourth 20-point game of the season, and surpassed his previous season high of 25 points from earlier this month versus LSU. Thornwell hit 8-of-12 attempts from the floor and was 9-of-12 from the free throw line. He also collected four rebounds and dished four of Carolina’s eight assists in the game.

Senior guard Brenton Williams responded after a tough outing versus Ole Miss last Saturday, posting 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and four 3s. Freshman guards Duane Notice and Jaylen Shawadded 14 and 12 points, respectively, in the game.

Georgia was led by junior forward Nemanja Djurisic with 22 points, while Kenny Gaines added 14 and Brandon Morris 13. The Bulldogs posted 10 3s in the game, and hit 33-of-50 from the foul line.

A jumper from Thornwell gave the Gamecocks a 6-4 lead with 17:31 remaining in the first half, but nine-straight points from Djurisic followed by back-to-back Bulldog 3s saw the home team hold a 17-8 upperhand four minutes later.

Notice broke the streak with a jumper in the lane, and Shaw hit a 3 with 12:22 on the clock to pull Carolina within six at 19-13.

Georgia held on to a double-digit lead until a floater from Notice near the eight-minute mark brought the Gamecocks within nine at 30-21.

Foul trouble plagued the Gamecocks, with sophomore forward Mindaugas Kacinas and freshman forward Desmond Ringerboth with 3 and forced to sit on the bench much of the half. The Bulldog lead stood at 13 at the under-four minute media timeout with 3:51 to play before the break.

South Carolina missed four from the free throw line down the stretch, and UGA led by as many as 15, but sophomore forward Laimonas Chatkeviciuspulled down three-consecutive defensive rebounds, and Notice and Williams added lay-ins and the Georgia lead was just nine at the break, 45-34.

The Bulldogs scored six 3-pointers in the opening half and out-rebounded the Gamecocks by seven at 21-14. Notice led Carolina with 13 points in the stanza, hitting 4-of-5 from the field. The teams combined for 30 fouls in the set.

Georgia’s Charles Mann was called for a flagrant foul just 30 seconds into the second half, sending Notice to the line for two attempts. He hit one from the line and Mann and Williams traded 3-pointers moments later to put the score at 48-38 UGA with 18 to play.

Consecutive turnovers from the Gamecocks saw the Georgia lead push to 22 at 64-42 with just over 14 minutes on the clock.

Chatkevicius fouled out with 12 minutes to play, and freshman forward Demetrius Henry and sophomore forward Michael Carrerawere both on the bench with 3 each.

Thornwell scored on consecutive possessions midway through the half, but the Bulldog lead hovered near 20 points through the next several minutes of play.

Sophomore forward Brian Steele hit a 3 and earned a steal at the opposite end on the ensuing UGA possession near the four-minute mark. Freshman guard Jaylen Shawgave the Gamecocks another 3 at the top of the key and the score stood at 87-70 Georgia with 3:33 to play.

Thornwell hit a season high with 26 points on two lay-ups with 90 seconds to play, but Georgia posted the 97-76 victory.

South Carolina finished the contest hitting 45.8 percent (22-48) from the field, compared to 55.1 percent (27-49) from Georgia. The Bulldogs attempted 50 free throws in the contest, a new Carolina opponent record in league play, surpassing UGA’s 46 attempts during last season’s contest in Columbia.

South Carolina continues SEC play on the road when it travels to Missouri this Saturday. Game time is set for 4 p.m. ET on SEC TV from Columbia, Mo.