Story by Matt Smith
South Carolina (14-12, 9-4) knocked off Ole Miss 79-64 Tuesday night at the Colonial Life Arena. The victory pushes the Gamecocks past the Rebels for fourth place in the SEC standings. Chris Silva led South Carolina on both ends of the court, scoring 18 points to go with 3 blocks.
Ole Miss had won its last four, but couldn’t solve Silva, who was double-teamed throughout the evening. AJ Lawson and Hassani Gravett scored 15 points apiece. Gravett did his damage from the arc, hitting four of six 3-pointers. Lawson had the highlight of the night with a put-back dunk that was part of a 31-9 Gamecock run. Lawson may have had his best all-around game as he added nine rebounds and six assists.
Ole Miss took an early 13-2 lead as South Carolina struggled to find itself, but the Gamecocks followed with a 13-0 run to take their first lead. One of Silva’s two 3-pointers capped the comeback.
After hitting a 16 3-pointers Saturday, SC took the conference lead in 3-point percentage. The Gamecocks will likely continue to lead in the category, hitting 9 of 19 3-point shots Tuesday.
South Carolina also got 10 points and six rebounds from Keyshawn Bryant. Ole Miss was paced by Tyree Breein’s 19 points. Former Irmo player Devontae Shuler scored seven points for the Rebels.
Both teams’ coaches were complimentary of the Gamecocks’ intensity. Ole Miss’ Kermit Davis said, “South Carolina certainly looked a tournament team tonight.” Frank Martin added, “That was the best 40 minutes of defense we’ve played all season.”
South Carolina is next in action Saturday, 6:00 PM at Mississippi State.
Frank Martin postgame press conference
Chris Silva & AJ Lawson postgame press conference
