Men's Basketball . January 30, 2021

South Carolina Drops Road Game at Vanderbilt, 93-81

AJ Lawson led the Gamecocks with 21 points

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Maxwell Evans hit five 3-pointers and finished with 29 points – both season highs – and Scotty Pippen Jr. had 23 points and seven assists to help Vanderbilt beat South Carolina 93-81 on Saturday night to snap a six-game losing streak.

Evans went into the game having scored 52 points this season.

It was the first time this season that two Vanderbilt players scored at least 20 points. Dylan Disu added 17 points, seven assists and a career-best tying five steals for the Commodores (5-8, 1-6 Southeastern Conference).

Vanderbilt used a 20-2 run in a span of three minutes, 36 seconds to take the lead for good and make it 23-8 after a dunk by Evans with 13:55 left in the first half. The Gamecocks went 1 for 4 from the field with five turnovers during that span.

AJ Lawson led South Carolina (4-6, 2-4) with 21 points. Keyshawn Bryant scored 13 points, Justin Minaya and Seventh Woods added 11 apiece, and Trae Hannibal had 10.

Vanderbilt, which had lost its first seven conference games in each of the previous two seasons, scored its most points in a game this season. The Commodores, who led by double figures throughout the second half, tied their season high with 21 assists. They also hit 13 3-pointers and outscored South Carolina 22-9 at the free-throw line.

KEY STATS
> Vanderbilt hit 22-of-27 attempts at the free throw line and scored 26 points off 16 South Carolina turnovers.

NOTABLES
> Junior AJ Lawson scored 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting. It marked his fifth game of the season with 20 or more points and his seventh game making three or more 3s.
> Junior Keyshawn Bryant (13), redshirt junior Justin Minaya (11), redshirt senior Seventh Woods (11) and sophomore Trae Hannibal (10) also scored in double figures for the Gamecocks.
> Tonight marked Woods’ and Hannibal’s first game in double figures this season.

UP NEXT
South Carolina is back on the road next week for a mid-week contest at Florida (10-4, 6-3 SEC). Tip time for the matchup is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. The Gamecocks are seeking the team’s third-straight win in Gainesville.

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