College basketball teams are playing exhibition games this week as a prelude to the official start of the season. Most schools from the bigger leagues enjoy an easy night of it against an inferior opponent. Not the case for USC Wednesday night against Wofford. The Gamecocks won 60-57 but needed a serious course correction in the second half after trailing 34-17 at halftime.
The Gamecocks shot just 20% in the first half (6-30). They doubled their field goals in the second half and made seven three-pointers. The Gamecocks took their first lead of the game with 10:42 to play on a three by freshman Morris Ugusuk for a 42-39 lead. The biggest lead for USC was five at 55-50 with 3:04 to play, and the Gamecocks were able to hold on from there.
BJ Mack, playing against his former team, led the Gamecocks with 14 points. He also grabbed seven rebounds. Zachary Davis added 13 points, and Vanderbilt transfer Myles Stute had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Meechie Johnson struggled with his shooting missing all eight field goals attempts, including 0-7 from three. He did lead the team with four assists. The Gamecocks did protect the ball with just six turnovers compared to 12 for Wofford they converted into 16 points. Wofford won the boards 42-38 and won the paint 24-13.
Final Stats
Thank you for this update and game overview. Just so that you know, the first paragraph mentions Furman and not Wofford.
Thank you. That error has been corrected.