In what was undoubtedly the most exciting game of the South Carolina Gamecocks’ season so far, PJ Dozier proved that it doesn’t matter how low you fall, it's how you pick yourself up that matters. Dozier, who was held scoreless in regular time of the nail-biter against the Monmouth Hawks, gave the Gamecocks new life and was able to edge out the Hawks on a last-second buzzer beater to give the Gamecocks a 70-69 overtime win.
Along with Dozier’s miraculous shot, the Gamecocks were fueled by the scoring ability of senior guard Sindarius Thornwell, who added a game high 23 points on the evening. Thornwell and fellow senior guard Duane Notice led the South Carolina offense, combining for 38 of the team’s 70 points.
The Gamecocks, who are thus far undefeated this season, kept fans on the edge of their seats, taking strong leads early in each half and then letting them slip away amidst late turnovers and foul troubles. With 12 turnovers in the second half alone, Carolina struggled to maintain the strong leads they had mounted, which nearly cost them the game.
South Carolina’s late collapse
The Gamecocks were able to start each of their halves strong, amassing 17-point leads to start each half. Yet their early foul troubles and inability to handle the ball caused South Carolina to struggle late in the game. Monmouth was able to answer South Carolina’s scoring runs by forcing 20 total turnovers and causing lengthy scoring droughts for the Gamecocks.
The large number of South Carolina fouls and turnovers ultimately proved to be the Achilles’ heel of the Gamecocks and was very close to being the reason for their downfall. South Carolina gave up 13 points to the Hawks due to turnovers, and the Hawks were able to score 23 points off of free throws.
Coach Frank Martin said that their offensive play today “look[ed] like nine-year olds practice more than us.”
Despite their offensive struggles, South Carolina still held off a Monmouth team eager to take home a victory.
Dozier’s early troubles
Dozier has been a standout player for South Carolina this season. Averaging 16 points per game, Dozier ranks third among Gamecocks players in scoring and in three-point percentage. But Dozier was silent throughout most of the game, scoring zero points through the entirety of regular time.
Dozier, who clearly struggled throughout the game, ended up being the key factor in overtime for the Gamecocks, adding six of South Carolina’s 10 overtime points, including his last second buzzer beater to give the Gamecocks the win. Despite going 0-7 in regular time from the field, Dozier shot lights out in overtime, scoring each of his three shot attempts.
"That's the time that young kids dream about, just making that game winning shot and having your teammates, your brothers, the crowd all trample you," Dozier said.
Next up
South Carolina will take on South Carolina State in hopes of keeping its undefeated season alive. The Gamecocks take on the Bulldogs this Friday, Nov. 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the Colonial Life Arena.