CHARLESTON: Charleston may be one of the south’s most acclaimed tourist destinations, but it has been downright inhospitable for Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks. South Carolina failed to find an offensive flow for the second game in a row at the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic, falling to Davidson 69-60, Friday.
There were bright spots, such as Chico Carter’s season-high 26 points, but the Gamecocks were again inconsistent and shot just 39% from the floor. Carter excelled from long distance, hitting 6 of his 8 3-point attempts. The rest of the club combined to go 0 for 10 from behind the arc. USC’s frontcourt was held mostly in check, with GG Jackson (12 points), Hayden Brown (10) and Benjamin Bosmans-Verdon (3) limited to 9 of 31 shooting. Jackson led USC with nine rebounds.
South Carolina had its opportunities, even carrying a lead into the second half. Brown made a pair of free throws to lift the Gamecocks (2-2) to a seven-point advantage with 17:56 to play, but Davidson quickly recovered. The Wildcats answered with a 17-4 rally, giving Davidson a lead it would never relinquish.
USC has one more chance to post a win in Charleston as the Gamecocks have drawn Furman, Sunday. Tipoff from the TD Arena is set for 10:30 a.m.
