Gamecocks MBB Solid In Season-Opening 82-53 Win Over USC-Upstate

South Carolina's men's basketball team starts the season off with a 29-point win over SC Upstate, thanks to a good performance by Meechie Johnson.

In Lamont Paris' first season in Columbia, South Carolina defeated the USC-Upstate Spartans by just 15 points and had to overcome a halftime deficit to get to that end result. This year, things played out a little bit differently, as the Gamecocks built a sizable lead late in the first half and pulled away in the second half to secure an 82-53 win over their in-state sister school.

Carolina got off to a slow start offensively in this game, as they opened up shooting 1-4 from the floor, but got it going hitting back-to-back threes. The Gamecocks would continue to hit their stride as the first 30 minutes wore on, hitting 54.2 percent of their shots in the first half, led by guard Meechie Johnson with 13 points.

On the defensive side of the ball, they had a very solid first 10 minutes, only giving up 13 points and forcing many contested shots. The last couple of minutes weren't the cleanest defensively, though, as the Gamecocks allowed SC Upstate to make four of their last six shots towards the end of the half; Carolina still held Upstate to 37 percent shooting the first half, taking a 42-28 lead into the locker room.

Guard Meechie Johnson taking the ball up the court :: Joshua Boucher/The State

Coming out in the second half, the Gamecocks would go the first two minutes without a single shot attempt and had two turnovers and three quick fouls. Then the lights came on. They would get hot from three, starting the half 4-4 from behind the arch and getting out to an early 19-point lead and never really looked back. Led by Ta'lon Cooper and BJ Mack in the second half, Carolina finished the game strong offensively, shooting 53% for the game.

Defensively, the second half resembled the first half. The Gamecocks came out aggressive but allowed the Spartans to gain some confidence by going on an early run. On the bright side, they got it figured out and continued to apply some pressure and force contested shots.

It's a great start to the season for Head Coach Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks, as they had an extremely efficient night on the offensive side of the ball, especially from three, hitting on 54% of those shots and a commendable effort on the defensive side of the ball. While there are some things they can improve on, such as turnovers and free throws, overall, you could see a notable improvement from last season.

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