Johnson Scores 20 as South Carolina Earns 72-62 Victory Over Winthrop

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Meechie Johnson scored 20 points to lead South Carolina to a 72-62 victory over Winthrop on Tuesday night.

South Carolina has won three straight since its 72-67 loss to then-No. 24 Clemson. The Gamecocks improved to 6-0 at home and are 10-1 for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

Ta’Lon Cooper added 13 points and Myles Stute had 10 for the Gamecocks, who shot 40% (27 of 68) from the floor and made all 12 of their free throws. Stute made two of their six 3-pointers.

Kelton Talford made 10 of 11 free throws and scored 20 points to lead Winthrop (8-5). K.J. Doucet made three 3-pointers and finished with 16 points. Alex Timmerman chipped in 13 points.

Doucet and Sin’Cere McMahon each made a 3-pointer in a 13-5 surge that pulled Winthrop to 55-53 with 7:20 to play. The Gamecocks scored the next six points and the Eagles didn’t get closer.

Johnson scored 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting to help South Carolina build a 33-28 halftime lead. Talford scored 10 first-half points and Doucet had eight for the Eagles.

KEY STAT

• South Carolina’s stifling defense forced four shot clot violations and 14 Winthrop turnovers. Carolina allowed just 34.0 percent (16-for-47) from the field and 33.3 percent (7-for-21) from beyond the arc.

NOTABLES

• Junior guard Meechie Johnson led Carolina in scoring for the seventh time this season, notching 20 points while adding a team-high five assists. Johnson went 8-of-8 at the charity stripe and has made his last 23 free-throw attempts dating back to the victory against Notre Dame on Nov. 28.
• Carolina improves to 7-2 when Johnson scores 20 or more points the last two seasons.
• South Carolina shot a season-high 100.0 percent from the charity stripe, going a perfect 12-of-12 at the line. It ties the highest single-game percentage in program history. The Gamecocks went 9-of-9 on Jan. 26, 2019, at Oklahoma State and 11-of-11 on Jan. 28, 2004, at Vanderbilt.
• Three players scored in double figures for Carolina: Johnson (20), Ta’Lon Cooper (13), and Myles Stute (10). It marked Cooper’s fourth double figure scoring game of the year and Stute’s seventh (team 7-0 when Stute scores in double figures).
• The Gamecocks dominated in the trenches, outscoring Winthrop 40-16 in points in the paint.
• Graduate forward B.J. Mack grabbed a team-high seven rebounds leading the way for Carolina for the fourth time this season.
• The victory marks the seventh 10-1 start in program history (1933-34, 1944-45, 1969-70, 1970-71, 2003-04, 2015-16, and 2023-24).
• The win is also the team’s first seven-game home win streak since non-conference play during the 2021-22 season.

UP NEXT

The Gamecocks (10-1) remain home for the team’s final game before Christmas, squaring off with Elon (6-5) at 6 p.m. (ET) on Friday. Roy Philpott (pxp) and Perry Clark (analyst) will be on the call for the SEC Network broadcast. Carolina’s returns to the court after the holiday for the team’s non-conference finale against Florida A&M on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. on SEC Network+.

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