Feb. 7, 2015

Final Stats | Photo Gallery

NASHVILLE, TENN. – A pair of big second-half runs allowed Vanderbilt (13-10, 3-7 SEC) to overcome a halftime deficit to take down Carolina (11-11, 2-8) 65-50. Sindarius Thornwell and Duane Notice each scored in double figures to lead the Gamecocks.

The Commodores started the game with a 6-0 advantage after the Gamecocks missed three field goals and three turnovers in the first five minutes of action. The fortunes would be shifted at the mid-way point in the half, when Carolina’s defense held Vanderbilt without a point for a six-minute stretch to take its first lead of the day.

Trailing 13-7 with 11:25 to play, an 8-0 run by the Gamecocks put them ahead, with Mindaugas Kacinas putting the bow on the run with his second field goal of the game. The scoring was balanced for Carolina throughout the first half, with seven different players with at least one field goal made.

Vanderbilt would take a brief 19-18 lead, but the Gamecocks finished the final three minutes with an 8-3 burst to take a 26-22 lead into halftime. Brian Steele was the catalyst, hitting a pair of 3-pointers in that stretch.

The hot finish to the half would not stay in the locker room for Carolina. It would make its first four field goals to start and built a 36-25 lead with 18 minutes to play. Both teams would hit a scoring drought simultaneously after that, benefitting the Gamecocks. They would lead by double digits for most of the first ten minutes of the half, led by five points from Thornwell and Notice in that stretch alone.

It would be a second scoreless stretch for Carolina that would be the difference in the game, as it went 5:20 without a point, allowing the home side to embark on a 18-0 run to turn a 43-31 Gamecock lead into a 49-43 game with seven minutes still to go. Notice’s absence due to foul trouble was felt hard as the Gamecocks held a 10-point lead before he picked up his fourth foul. By the time he re-entered, Vanderbilt held a 50-46 lead.

While the scoring drought would end momentarily, the `Dores were able to maintain a two-possession lead for the rest of the game. It closed the contest out with a 10-0 run in the final four minutes for the final 15-point advantage. They relied on a strong rebounding effort to create extra possessions and limited Carolina to just four offensive rebounds, the fewest in any game this season.

GAME CHANGER

The Gamecocks went through a five-minute scoring drought midway through the second half, allowing Vanderbilt to go on an 18-0 run and take a 49-43 lead. The Commodores shot 6-of-9 from the field in that stretch.

KEY STAT The Commodores hit on 17-of-21 attempts from the free throw line in the second half and 22-29 for the game. The home side made four more free throws in the second half than the Gamecocks attempted for the game. The plus-15 advantage in attempts is second most for a Carolina opponent this season, behind only Auburn.

NOTABLES

• Sophomore guard Justin McKie did not play at Vanderbilt. He is still experiencing concussion related symptoms. Freshman guard/forward Shamiek Sheppard did not play at Vanderbilt due to a sore right knee.
• Junior forward Demetrius Henry returned for the Gamecocks after missing the last three games due to a concussion.
• The previous low in offensive rebounds for Carolina this season is eight, against Clemson. It is the fewest in a game since the team had four against Missouri State on Nov. 24, 2012.

QUOTABLE South Carolina Head Coach Frank Martin

Opening Statement
“A lot of credit to Kevin Stallings and those young kids and James Siakam. I have tremendous respect for that young man and the courage and leadership that he has been providing for that team since day one with so many young kids. Once again, Kevin has proven that he is one of the better coaches in the country. He and I were joking before the game that a couple of years ago we weren’t very good and neither was he. Here we are two years later, and we both like our teams a lot, and yet our records don’t show that. A lot of credit to Kevin and those young kids he has.”

UP NEXT

After two-straight road contests, South Carolina returns to Colonial Life Arena to host Missouri on Tuesday. Game time is set for 7 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. Missouri won last season’s meeting between the two schools, 82-74 in Columbia, Mo.