Gamecock Gameday: Carolina Hosts SC State Friday Night

Nov. 17, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina concludes the home portion of its play in the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational when SC State travels to Columbia on Friday. The meeting is the 21st all-time between the two schools and the first since the 2013-14 campaign. The contest marks South Carolina’s fourth-straight home contest to open the 2016-17 slate.

GAME STORYLINES

– South Carolina is in its 109th season of varsity basketball in 2016-17.
– On the sidelines, Frank Martin is joined by associate head coach Matt Figger, assistant coaches Perry Clark and Bruce Shingler, and director of operations Andy Assaley.
– The Gamecocks claimed a hard-fought overtime victory over visiting Monmouth on Tuesday, fueled by a buzzer beater jumper from sophomore guard PJ Dozier in overtime for the 70-69 win. South Carolina held Monmouth to just 23.3 percent (7-30) from the field in the opening half with stifling defense, but the Gamecock offense was unable to find its rhythm as well, hitting a slightly better 26.7 percent (8-30) in the set. The game had several scoring runs, with the team’s trading the lead late in the second half which resulted in the extra time. Senior guard Sindarius Thornwell led Carolina for the third-straight game, scoring 23 points, with nine rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals.
– Sophomore forward Chris Silva posted the first double-double of his career in the win vs. the Hawks with 10 points and a team high 10 rebounds.
– South Carolina hit 27 baskets, including 12 3s, in an 81-49 win over Holy Cross on Nov. 13 at Colonial Life Arena in the first of three home contests as part of the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational. Senior guard Sindarius Thornwell once again paced the Gamecocks with 20 points, marking the 16th 20-point game of his career.
– South Carolina won its 16th-straight season opener on Nov. 11, posting an 85-76 victory over Louisiana Tech at Colonial Life Arena. It would be a game that would go down to the wire, as a late surge fuled by back-to-back transition dunks from South Carolina’s Chris Silva and Sindarius Thornwell would secure the win. Carolina hit 52.6 percent from the field, and was led by Thornwell’s 18 points and seven rebounds.
– Several Gamecocks made their college debuts on Nov. 11, including freshman forward Maik Kotsar, r-sophomore guard Hassani Gravett, junior forward Ran Tut and freshman forward Khadim Gueye. Rookie guard Rakym Felder made his college debut vs. Holy Cross (Nov. 13).
– South Carolina returns two starters and eight letterwinners from last season’s squad that posted a 25-9 overall record, matching the Carolina record for total wins.
– Those returning starters feature the only backcourt in the SEC with two 1,000-point scorers, in senior guards Sindarius Thornwell and Duane Notice. The duo accounted for 24.2 points and 6.1 assists per game last season.
– Thornwell was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team last March, while Notice was named the league’s Sixth Man Of the Year.
– The Gamecocks return just 49.4 percent of their scoring from a year ago, with the departure of three senior starters in Michael Carrera (14.5 ppg), Laimonas Chatkevicius (10.2 ppg) and Mindaugas Kacinas (9.9 ppg).
– The Gamecocks began the 2015-16 season 15-0, their best start since the 1933-34 campaign.
– Carolina welcomes 10 newcomers to the squad this season in Tommy Corchiani, Rakym Felder, Hassani Gravett, Khadim Gueye, Evan Hinson, Kory Holden, Sedee Keita, Maik Kotsar, Christian Schmitt and Ran Tut.
– The Gamecocks are undefeated in exhibition contests under the direction of Frank Martin with wins over Kentucky Wesleyan (2012-13), USC Aiken (2013-14), Benedict (2014-15), Allen (2015-16) and Newberry (107-89).

SCOUTING SC STATE

– The Bulldogs posted a 19-14 overall record last season and finished in a tie for second place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings with a 12-4 mark.
– Head coach Murray Garvin was named the MEAC Coach of the Year and top returning scorer Eric Eaves earned All-MEAC Second-Team honors last season after posting 17.3 points per game.
– SC State advanced to the postseason last spring, participating in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
– SC State suffered a road loss at Wichita State in its 2016-17 season opener, and most recently tallied a 93-76 victory over St. Andrews on Monday.

MONMOUTH NOTABLES

– The game marked the eighth time in Frank Martin’s 10 seasons as a head coach that his team has won the first three games of the season, and the third time in his five seasons at South Carolina.
– Senior guard Sindarius Thornwell tallied his second-straight 20-point outing and the 17th of his career after scoring 23 tonight.
– Sophomore forward Chris Silva tallied his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
– The Gamecocks have held all three opponents below 50 percent shooting so far this season (La Tech 43.6%, Holy Cross 37.8% and Monmouth 30.8%).
– Senior guard JustinMcKie led all bench scorers for the second-straight game in points (8) and minutes (27).

KEY STAT

The Gamecocks continue to distribute the ball, collecting an assist on 60 percent of their made baskets thus far in 2016-17. Duane Notice’s 4.3 assists per game are a team high.

UP NEXT

South Carolina hosts Big Ten foe Michigan next Wednesday, Nov. 23, at Colonial Life Arena, before traveling to New York City to conclude play in the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational vs. Syracuse at the Barclays Center on Saturday, Nov. 26. Game time vs. the Wolverines is set for 5 p.m. ET, with the contest broadcast on ESPNU, while the matchup vs. the Orange will tip at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3.