Feb. 25, 2016

Final Stats | USATSI Photo Gallery

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Behind four Gamecocks in double figures, South Carolina won its 10th SEC contest on Wednesday night, defeating Tennessee, 84-58, in Columbia. The win improves the Gamecocks to 23-5 on the year, and 10-5 in league games, while the Vols fall to 13-15, 6-9 SEC. Junior guard Duane Noticed paced Carolina with 17 points, while senior forward Michael Carrera collected his 10th double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

The 23 wins for South Carolina mark the most since the 2005-06 Gamecocks finished with a 23-15 record and Carolina’s 10 SEC wins mark just the fourth time since joining the league that the Gamecocks have registered double-figure conference victories.

A 3 from junior guard Sindarius Thornwell just three minutes into the contest capped an 11-0 Gamecock run which saw the home team jump out to an early nine-point advantage. Tennessee answered with a run of its own to pull within two at 13-11, but six-straight points from freshman forward Chris Silva pushed the Carolina lead back to 19-11 with 13:21 to play in the half.

The teams traded made baskets until a lay-up from junior guard Justin McKie with 9:41 to play in the half pushed the Carolina lead to 29-23 and forced a Volunteer timeout. Tennessee pulled within three on a 3 pointer from Devon Baulkman out of the break, but the Gamecocks answered with a 3 from Notice, and a lay-up from senior forward Laimonas Chatkevicius to lead 36-28 at the next media timeout.

Momentum from a forced Tennessee shot clock violation carried the Gamecocks into halftime. Three-point baskets on three-straight possessions from Notice starting at the 2:19 mark propelled Carolina to a 15-point advantage at the break, 49-34.

Notice led the way with 15 points in the first half, and Chatkevicius added eight. Both team’s shot well in the opening stanza, with Carolina hitting 19-of-32 from the floor, 59.4 percent, and the Volunteers converting on 13-of-28 attempts, 46.4 percent. The Gamecocks dominated the paint, out-scoring the Vols 26-8 in the lane.

South Carolina opened up the second half on a 10-0 run and pushed its lead to 59-34 at the 16:15 mark. The Gamecocks were held scoreless for a four-minute span and a 3 from UT’s Admiral Schofield and a jumper from Armani Moore pulled the Vols within 13 at 61-48 with 9:21 remaining.

Back-to-back 3s from Carrera and Kacinas gave Carolina a 27-point upperhand, 75-48 with 4:46 remaining, which forced a Volunteer timeout. Redshirt-freshman guard TeMarcus Blanton and rookie forward Eric Cobb each added a lay-up near the end of regulation, and the Gamecocks closed the 84-58 victory.

GAMECHANGER

South Carolina hit 52.5 percent from the field, a near season high, in the win vs. Tennessee. The Gamecocks converted on 19-of-32 attempts in the first half, 59.4 percent, and 13-of-29 in the second half, 44.8 percent. The Vols hit 46.4 percent (13-28) in the opening half, but hit just 9-of-35 (25.7%) attempts in the second half, marking the eighth SEC opponent the Gamecocks have held under 40 percent from the field this season.

KEY STAT

South Carolina dished 20 assists on 32 made baskets, led by junior guard Sindarius Thornwell and rookie guard PJ Dozier’s six each.

UP NEXT

South Carolina travels to Mississippi State on Saturday in the second meeting between the two schools this season. The Gamecocks posted an 84-74 win over the Bulldogs in Columbia on Jan. 26 behind a career high 34 points from senior forward Michael Carrera. Game time in Starkville is set for 2:30 p.m. ET. Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Joe Dean Jr. (analyst) will have the call for the SEC Network.

NOTABLE

• Senior forward Michael Carrera recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds

• Junior guard Duane Notice hit four 3s in the contest, marking the 19th time in his career he has hit at least three 3s in a game

• The win marked just the second Gamecock win vs. Tennessee in the last 10 meetings between the two schools.

• South Carolina out-scored Tennessee 42-14 in the paint. The Gamecocks are now 22-2 when out-scoring their opponent in the lane

• Sophomore guard Marcus Stroman, redshirt-sophomore guard Jarrell Holliman and freshman forward Raymond Doby were not available for tonight’s contest due to flu like symptoms

• Freshman guard John Ragin was unavailable for the matchup vs. Tennessee due to an illness

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