The South Carolina Gamecocks (15-15, 6-10) snapped a six-game skid with a 77-73 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores that pushed the Gamecocks up to the East’s fifth seed in the upcoming Southeastern Conference tournament.
The win is just the Gamecocks’ second in their last nine meetings with Vanderbilt. The ‘Dores (23-7, 12-4) already had the No. 2 seed in the East locked up before blowing a 10-point lead by going cold from the floor for 9:20. The Commodores rallied and tied it for the ninth time at 69 on J. Beal’s 3-pointer. But soon after, USC guard Devan Downey came off a ball screen and hit a 3-pointer with 1:48 left to break the tie and set the wheels in motion for the ‘Cocks win.
Great win for S. Carolina as they finish the season at .500 and have some needed confidence heading into post-season play.
Keys to the win:
- South Carolina wound up outshooting Vanderbilt 49.1 percent to 42.9 percent, while out-rebounding the Commodores 33-28.
- Devan Downey scored 26 points as the Gamecocks snapped a six-game losing streak overall. He has scored in double figures in 29 of 30 games this season.
- USC got to the line this game, making 16-23 FTs
- The stellar play of Sam Muldrow – 20 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk
This win reminds me of how the gamecocks football team ended the season with a win. After losing some games, get a win to close the season and all is forgotten in gamecock nation. USC was 10-6 last seaon and this season 6-10 in SEC play. But we know the challenges this team had and to get the win today is a testament to the heart of this team. Great way to finish and for Coach Horn to build from….Go Cocks!
Next Game: The Gamecocks will play Alabama at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT on Thursday in the SEC first round.
