Before the game Sunday, it was announced that senior guard Sindarius Thornwell was suspended for violating athletic department policy, but it didn’t matter for South Carolina, as they routed the Florida International Panthers 70-54.
With the win, the No. 20 Gamecocks stay undefeated, improving to 8-0. Coach Frank Martin’s team hasn’t lost to a non-conference opponent during the regular season since the 2014-15 season, and they will attempt to continue this streak in their next game against Big East foe Seton Hall on Dec. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The emergence of Duane Notice and PJ Dozier
Both Notice and Dozier excelled, accounting for 47 of the 70 points scored by the Gamecocks on Sunday, which was 67 percent of South Carolina’s total points.
Dozier’s performance got going early in the first half during the first ten minutes of the game. Totaling four steals, many of Dozier’s points came off of Panthers’ turnovers that he would often take to the other end for an easy lay-in. Dozier's star performance wasn’t limited to points off of turnovers, however. The local sophomore was 50 percent from the three-point line and collected seven rebounds. At the end of the day, Dozier was 7-13 from the field.
Notice had a career day against Florida International, scoring 27 points. While he’s only shot 33.3 percent from the three-point line so far this season, he shot 60 percent from behind the line, hitting 6-10.
Head coach Frank Martin was impressed with their performances in the absence of leading scorer Sindarius Thornwell.
“I was proud of those two guys," Martin said. "Duane hasn’t been making shots. Duane's played so hard for … the first month of the season. But the ball’s not been going in the net for him.”
Notice’s long-range shooting performance was encouraging, but Dozier’s inside game was another positive sign. Martin said that Dozier is still recovering from ACL surgery from a year ago, but has shown progress in being more physical.
“PJ continues to grow in confidence in just himself, his body, physically," Martin said. "He can go up in traffic, take a hit and land. His body is strong to absorb that."
Scoring Defense
The Gamecocks’ scoring defense ranks third nationally, allowing a mere 55.5 points per game. The defense continued to play well today for a number of reasons. South Carolina created 13 steals. The defense was its usual self, aggressively swarming to the ball, while playing fast and active at the same time.
Head coach Frank Martin said that the steals were attributed to the fact that Florida International did not do a lot of passing, instead leaning towards ball screens and dribble hand-offs.
“We were active with our hands when they tried to drive into crowded areas,” Martin said.
Steals weren’t the only reasons the Panthers were limited in scoring, however. Coach Anthony Evans’ team committed 23 turnovers and were blocked six times.
Frank Martin not happy
Most Gamecocks fans who follow the basketball team know that Martin is a demanding coach and isn’t afraid to hold back on players who aren’t performing. South Carolina’s head coach wasn’t particularly happy with his team’s performance against Vermont, and he wasn’t pleased with much of the team Sunday either.
It’s obvious that Martin was pleased with both Dozier and Notice. Here’s what he had to say about the remainder of the team.
“Chris (Silva) didn’t play well, but he was active," Martin said. "I was disappointed in the rest of the guys.”
Before South Carolina takes on Seton Hall, they’ll have a week off to rest and prepare for final exams for the fall semester.