Gamecocks Rout UAlbany, 96-67, in Non-Con Finale

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) —Meechie Johnson scored 15 points as South Carolina pulled away after halftime and cruised past UAlbany 96-67 on Tuesday night.

The Gamecocks shot 60% from the field and placed five players in double figures while improving to 9-4. South Carolina led 48-33 at the break and steadily widened the gap in the second half, turning defensive pressure into easy scoring opportunities.

UAlbany briefly showed momentum early after halftime when Amir Lindsey and Zacharie Matulu connected on 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 51-39. South Carolina answered with a decisive stretch that put the game out of reach, though. Kobe Knox hit a 3-pointer, and the Gamecocks followed with a 12-2 run that extended the lead to 63-41 with 13:42 remaining.

Hayden Assemian finished with 13 points off the bench, while Mike Sharavjamts added 10 points and seven assists.

South Carolina went 14 of 30 from beyond the arc and made 16 of 17 free throws. The Gamecocks forced 15 turnovers and consistently capitalized in transition during the second half.

Lindsey led UAlbany (4-11) with 18 points but committed four turnovers. Okechukwu Okeke scored 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench. Nas Muhammad added 10 points. The Great Danes shot 44% overall but struggled to slow South Carolina, with the margin growing to as many as 33 points late.

KEY STATS

• The Gamecocks shot a sizzling 60.0% (33-of-55 FGs) from the floor tonight, the highest shooting clip in four seasons under head coach Lamont Paris. Carolina is 15-1 (4-0 this season) now under Paris when shooting above 50.0% from the floor.
• The Gamecocks were also efficient from behind the arc hitting 14 3s en route to season-best 46.7% (14-of-30 3FGs) shooting mark from behind the arc. Nine different players made a 3 for the Gamecocks tonight.
• After tonight’s strong shooting effort, Carolina ranks in the top-10 nationally via KenPom is 2-point field goal percentage (9^th, 62.0%) and free-throw percentage (8^th, 79.5%) thru 13 games.
• The bench played a vital role again today’s victory with 43 points. South Carolina improves to 4-0 on the season when scoring 40 or more bench points.

NOTABLES

• Redshirt senior Meechie Johnson led five Gamecocks in double-figures with 15 points, adding four assists, three rebounds and a steal. He led the team in +/- and was +29 in 26 minutes of action.
• Graduate guard Myles Stute had 12 points for his second-straight game in double-figures. He knocked down three triples as well for the second consecutive game bringing his career total to 251 made 3s.
• Freshman forward Hayden Assemian had the best game of his career with a season-high 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks in 14 minutes. He was a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor. He leads the team in field goal percentage this season at 84.0% (21-of-25 FGs).
• Senior guard Mike Sharavjamts (10) and freshman Eli Ellis (11) also scored in double-figures. Sharavjamts has scored 10 or more a team-leading 10 times this season. Ellis now has five games in double-figures. Sharavjamts led the team with a season-high seven assists and Ellis had four helpers.
• Following a 95-point performance in the team’s last outing before Christmas, the 96 points scored today were the most in the Lamont Paris era at South Carolina. The Gamecocks improve to 19-1 under Paris when scoring 80 or more points. In his nine seasons as a head coach, his teams are 51-5 (.927 win percentage) when scoring 80 or more.

UP NEXT
The Gamecocks open SEC play at home against No. 11/11 Vanderbilt (13-0) at 2 p.m. (ET) on Saturday. Kevin Fitzgerald (pxp) and former Texas head coach Rodney Terry (analyst) will be on the call for the ESPNU broadcast.

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