Gamecocks Face George Washington Sunday Afternoon

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – South Carolina concludes action at the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament on Sunday when it faces George Washington at 4 p.m. ET.  The contest will be broadcast on ESPN2.

STARTING FIVE
> South Carolina looks to rebound on Sunday after suffering a 76-67 loss to Providence on Saturday in its first neutral-site matchup at the Naismith Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament.  Senior guard Hassani Gravett led the Gamecocks for the second straight game, scoring 14 points and pulling down seven rebounds.
> Carolina hit 51.9 percent (28-54) from the floor, and poured in 11 3-pointers, en route to an 81-64 victory over Norfolk State in Columbia on Tuesday.  Rookie guard A.J. Lawson continued his hot streak to open the season, matching senior guard Hassani Gravett for game-high honors with dual 18-points performances.
> Gravett tallied his 13th-career game with multiple made 3s vs. the Spartans on Tuesday, hitting a career high five on six attempts.  Entering weekend action, he’s connected on 6-of-11 attempts – 54.5 percent – from beyond the arc through the first three games of the season.
> Rookie guard T.J. Moss made his college debut vs. Norfolk State on Tuesday after missing the first two games of the season due to a right foot injury.  Moss logged 10 minutes of court action, hitting a 3 from the corner and dishing an assist in the win.  He followed with a season high 12 points vs. Providence.
> Sunday’s contest will be Carolina’s third all-time at the Mohegan Sun Arena, as the Gamecocks faced St. John’s at the venue on Dec. 22, 2015, posting a 75-61 win behind 20 points from then-junior Duane Notice and a double-double from senior Michael Carrera with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Then-freshman Chris Silva tallied four points and pulled down five rebounds in 10 minutes vs. the Red Storm.

#’S TO KNOW
21 – South Carolina dished a season high 21 assists on 28 made baskets in last Tuesday’s home win vs. Norfolk State.  It marked the most in a game for Carolina since collecting 22 in a road win at FIU last November (Nov. 27, 2017).
5.0 – Rookie guard A.J. Lawson paces Carolina with 4.5 assists per game through the first four games of the season.
32 – Senior forward Chris Silva needs just 32 rebounds to crack the Gamecock top 10 in the career category.  He has 652 career rebounds, an average of 6.2 per game.
14 – Senior guard Hassani Gravett paced Carolina with 14 points in the loss vs. Providence on Saturday.  It marked the sixth time in his career in the Garnet and Black that he has led or shared the team lead in scoring.

COMING UP NEXT
Carolina returns to Columbia for a pair of non-conference matchups versus intrastate rivals when it hosts Wofford (Nov. 26), before welcoming Coastal Carolina (Nov. 30) to Colonial Life Arena.  Both of those matchups are set for 7 p.m. tip times.

THROUGH THE FIRST FOUR GAMES…
> Rookie guard A.J. Lawson continues to pace the Gamecocks in scoring (15.0 points per game) and assists (18) … Senior guard Hassani Gravett has put together back-to-back double-figure scoring efforts, most recently leading the team with 14 points vs. Providence … Gravett also paces Carolina with 6.0 rebounds per contest … Senior foward Chris Silva’s 10 offensive rebounds on the year are a team high … Nine of Carolina’s 10 players that have seen court action this season average at least 5.3 points per game.

AIR FORCE RESERVE TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT
> The Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament began with on-campus matchups, with Carolina suffering an 83-81 loss to Stony Brook, before posting an 81-64 victory over Norfolk State.  
> The Gamecocks are in the Naismith Bracket, which also features Providence, George Washington and Michigan.
> The Springfield Bracket includes Stony Brook, Holy Cross, Norfolk State and Siena.
> Carolina will face either George Washington or Michigan on Sunday in its Tournament finale.

SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
> Rookie guard A.J. Lawson (15.0) and senior guard Hassani Gravett (11.0) both average double-figures after the first four games of the season.  Gravett has led the Gamecocks in scoring in each of the last two contests.
> Over the course of the last two games, Gravett is averaging 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 60.0 percent from the floor (12-20) and 63.6 percent from 3-point range (7-11) in 30 minutes of action per outing.
> Over the course of the last two games, Lawson is dishing 5.5 assists per outing, including a team high three vs. Providence.
> Rookie guard T.J. Moss missed the first two games of the season due to a foot injury. He saw his first court action of the season vs. Norfolk State on Tuesday, and scored 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 20 minutes of action vs. Providence.
> Entering weekend action, Carolina ranks fifth in the SEC in field goal percent defense, as the Gamecocks have held their first three opponents to a combined 37.7 percent from the field.  Carolina is tied for sixth in assists (15.0 per game) and blocks per game (5.3).
> South Carolina returns seven letterwinners from last season’s 17-16 squad, including senior guard Hassani Gravett and senior forward Chris Silva.
> Carolina welcomes eight newcomers to its roster this season, including a pair of transfers and six freshmen student-athletes.  Jair Bolden (transfer/George Washington/guard), graduate transfer Tre Campbell (transfer/Georgetown/guard), Keyshawn Bryant (freshman/guard), Jermaine Couisnard (freshman/guard), Alanzo Frink (freshman/forward), A.J. Lawson (freshman/guard), T.J. Moss (freshman/guard) and Nathan Nelson (freshman/forward) join the Garnet and Black this fall.

SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
> The Colonials are led by head coach Maurice Joseph in his third season. Joseph played college hoops at Michigan State, before finishing his career at Vermont.
> GW  enters  the  2018-19  season  with  a  pair  of  returning  starters  in  junior  forward Arnaldo Toro and  sophomore  guard  Terry  Nolan  Jr.,  plus  six  additional  letterwinners  from  last  season’s  squad  which  went  15-18  and  exited the Atlantic 10 Championship in the second round.
> GW is 0-4 on the season after suffering an 84-61 loss to Michigan on Saturday.
> DJ Williams paces the team with 13.7 points per game, while Nolan Jr. (11.8), and Toro (10.0) are also in double figures.
> Williams scored 16 and Toro added 13 with a team high nine rebounds vs. the Wolverines on Saturday.