A miserable first-half shooting performance buried the South Carolina men’s basketball team in its 79-55 loss to George Washington Wednesday night.
The Gamecocks shot 8-33 in the opening half, including 3-11 from three. The team shot 1-5 from the free throw line, missing almost everything thrown toward the basket.
The Gamecocks trailed only 5 points before the final 10-and-a-half minutes of the opening half. George Washington ran away with the game from there, ending the half, outscoring the Gamecocks 25-10 to lead 40-20 at the halftime break.
The start of the second half was no better for South Carolina. George Washington started the half outscoring the Gamecocks 20-8 to build its lead to 32 points with 13 minutes of game left.
South Carolina started hitting shots more consistently later in the second half, but it was too little too late. The team failed to get the game anywhere close to being competitive.
For the game, South Carolina shot 32% from the floor, while George Washington shot 51%.
Offensive rebounds were another difference-maker. The Colonials out-rebounded South Carolina by five, but the Gamecocks recorded four more offensive rebounds. Despite having fewer second-chance opportunities, George Washington recorded 23 second-chance points, while South Carolina had just 6. All game the Gamecocks struggled to take advantage of extra possessions.
Senior guard Chico Carter Jr. led the way for the Gamecocks with 13 points. Freshman forward GG Jackson also has double-figures with 11 points, but it came on an inefficient 4-17 shooting.
The Colonials had three players score double-figures. Senior forward Ricky Lindo Jr. had 15 points and graduate guard Brendan Adams had 18. Senior guard James Bishop led all scorers with 24 points, adding an additional eight assists and three rebounds.
The Gamecocks will be staying in America’s capitol to take on another D.C. based school. The team will head to Capital One Arena Saturday to play Georgetown at noon on FS1.