Guard Meechie Johnson and center BJ Mack combined for 46 points to power South Carolina past Notre Dame 65-53 Tuesday night in Columbia in the ACC-SEC Challenge. A season high crowd of 15, 215 gave the Colonial Life Area a great homecourt advantage, and the Gamecocks took advantage of that.
Johnson scored a career high 29 points, including four three-pointers, and Mack added 17 points. They were the only Gamecocks to score in double figures. The two scored 22 first half points and 24 in the second half.
The Fighting Irish scored the first eight points of the game, and that would turn out to be their biggest advantage. The Gamecocks took their first lead at 14-13 midway through the half, and the game was tight the rest of the half with USC leading 31-28 at halftime.
The Gamecocks had another slow start in the second half and fell behind 38-34. The Irish then went cold, and the Gamecocks took the lead for good 42-40 on a Mack layup with 12:13 to play. Their lead eventually grew to ten points as the Irish missed nine straight shots during that stretch. They made just three of their last 16 shots from the floor. while the Gamecocks made nine of their last 17.
The Gamecocks finished with a 38% shooting night to 33% for Notre Dame. The also added 20 points from the line, tying their high mark of the season. USC also protected the ball with a season low eight turnovers, and they had 11 assists on their 19 made baskets.
The Gamecocks are 6-0 as they continue their best start to a season since 2016-17. They will host William & Mary Monday night.
Final Stats
Lamont Paris postgame
Meechie Johnson & BJ Mack postgame
