South Carolina hits school record 18 3s to beat GW, 89-67

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP ) — Meechie Johnson knocked down 5 of 7 3-pointers to put up 24 points and B.J. Mack hit 4 of 8 from deep to add another 20 points as South Carolina rode 18 treys to an 89-67 win over George Washington on Friday night.

The Gamecocks (7-0) came into the game shooting 37% from beyond the arc and hit 18 of 35 (51%) against the Revolutionaries. Overall they hit 33 of 66 from the field.

Johnson entered after scoring 29 points in South Carolina’s 65-53 win over Notre Dame and wasted little time dialing in from distance, hitting his first 3-pointer two minutes into the game and hit three treys in the final 6:49 to put the game away.

Johnson added eight rebounds and Mack blocked a pair of shots. Ta’lon Cooper contributed 14 points and eight assists and Myles Stute added 11 points.

George Washington (6-2) shot 42% (25 of 60) from the field, including 11 of 22 from beyond the arc. Darren Buchanan Jr. had 18 points, six rebounds and two assists. James Bishop IV had 14 points and four assists, Trey Autry hit 3 of 6 from deep and added 13 points and Jacoi Hutchinson contributed 10 points.

South Carolina plays at Clemson Wednesday in a battle of unbeaten teams. George Washington will play host to Navy on Tuesday.

KEY STAT

South Carolina made a single-game record 18 3-pointers in tonight’s 22-point victory against George Washington. Carolina shot 51.4 percent (18-for-35) from behind the arc. The previous record of 16 occurred three times, last coming at Texas A&M on Jan. 18, 2020, in a 81-67, victory in College Station.

NOTABLES

• Junior guard Meechie Johnson continued his hot shooting leading South Carolina with 24 points and eight rebounds on the night. It marked Johnson’s sixth double-figure scoring game of the year and his fourth this season, leading the Garnet and Black in points.
• The Gamecocks improve to 6-1 when Johnson scores 20 or more points. He’s shooting a career-best 48.8 percent from the field so far this season (42-of-86).
• Graduate forward B.J. Mack notched his sixth double-figure scoring game this season with 20 points on an efficient 7-of-13 from the floor. It is the 67^th time Mack has scored in double-figures and his plus minus of (+23) was second highest on the night for Carolina.
• Four Gamecocks scored in double-figures: Johnson (24), Mack (20), Ta’Lon Cooper (14), and Myles Stute (11).
• Ta’Lon Cooper led the Gamecocks for the seventh straight game in helpers notching eight assists to just one turnover. Cooper now has 39 dimes on the year to just six turnovers. Cooper entered tonight’s game fifth in the nation with a 6.20 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• The Gamecock defense forced 10 turnovers, generating 14 points off of them. It is the sixth game this season Carolina has forced 10 plus turnovers.
• This marks the eighth 7-0 start in program history: 1933-34, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1988-89, 2003-04, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2023-24.

UP NEXT

The Gamecocks (7-0) will be away from home for a pair of games next week, marking the team’s first two, true road games of the season. First up is in-state rival Clemson (6-0) on Wednesday. Roy Philpott (pxp) and Dan Bonner (analyst) are on the call for the 8p.m. (ET) ACC Network broadcast. Carolina then heads to ECU (5-3) for a noon tip on Saturday on ESPNU.

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