COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina defeated Wooster, 86-60, in an exhibition at Colonial Life Arena on Wednesday in a matchup against head coach Lamont Paris’ alma mater. Sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles, a preseason All-SEC selection, led the way with 19 points and 11 rebounds for Carolina.
The Fighting Scots battled the first 20 minutes but the Gamecocks were able to take advantage of a late 13-4 run the opening half to lead by 12 at the break, 44-32.
Early in the second half, Wooster pulled within two but Carolina used another big run, this time a 24-4 scoring advantage to push its lead back to a comfortable margin with just under eight minutes to go.
Redshirt freshman Arden Conyers and true freshman Cam Scott, both local products, provided key sparks for the Gamecocks off the bench tonight. Conyers had 16 points in just 18 minutes of action. He was 6-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-5 from downtown and scored buckets on three consecutive possessions at a key point in the second half.
Scott also had 16 points, going 3-of-4 from distance. He had six rebounds and three assists as well.
Senior Jacobi Wright, a stalwart in the Gamecocks’ backcourt the past three seasons, also got into double figures with 10 points. He led the team with five assists.
KEY STAT
South Carolina doubled up Wooster in the rebound column with a 48-26 advantage. The Gamecocks also got 50 points from their bench players, with Cam Scott and Arden Conyers each scoring 16.
NOTABLES
The Fighting Scots have a rich history having made 18 consecutive appearances in the Division III NCAA Tournament. Paris played four seasons for the Fighting Scots from 1992-96, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business economics in 1996. He was team MVP, serving as team captain his final two seasons. Paris was a two-time All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection as he helped Wooster make three trips to the NCAA Tournament (Division III) and win a pair of NCAC Championships.
Paris, a native of Findlay, Ohio, played for legendary coach Steve Moore at Wooster. Moore led the team to a 780-188 record in 33 seasons, averaging 23.6 wins per year. He is the school’s all-time leader in winning percentage (.806) and led the Scots to 28 NCAA Tournament appearances. He is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA Division III and his 867 total wins are 12thall-time in NCAA basketball, just behind Adolph Rupp (876) and Dean Smith (879).
Current Wooster head coach Doug Cline and Paris were teammates for three seasons while playing for the Scots. Moore was in attendance tonight to see his two former players go head-to-head on opposite benches.
South Carolina had a 50-17 advantage in bench points as all 13 players who suited up tonight for the Garnet and Black got into the game.
Sixty-five of the team’s 86 points against Wooster were scored by South Carolina natives.
Dating back to his first season as a head coach in 2017-18 at Chattanooga, Paris’ teams are 39-4 when scoring 80 or more points.
The Gamecocks were 21-1 last season when scoring 70 or more points. Paris is 7-0 in two seasons as head coach at South Carolina when his teams score 80 or more.
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks officially open the season on Monday night at home against North Florida. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (ET) with arena doors opening 1 hour prior. Dave Weinstein (pxp) and John Williams (analyst) will be on the call for the SEC Network+ broadcast.
Categories: Local Sports, South Carolina Sports, Sports, USC Gamecocks