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·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ transfers make immediate impact in 82-53 win over Upstate
Men's Basketball  . 

·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ transfers make immediate impact in 82-53 win over Upstate

·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ Athletics

Gamecocks shoot 52.7 percent (29-of-55) and 54.5 percent from 3 (12-of-22) in largest season-opening win since 2013

COLUMBIA, S.C. – (AP) —ÌýÌýandÌýTa’Lon CooperÌýeach scored 15 points and ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ beat ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ Upstate 82-53 in a season opener on Monday night.

Ìýadded 13 points andÌýÌýhad 10 for ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ.

Ìýscored 13 points andÌýÌýadded 10 for SC Upstate.

Bailey’s 3-pointer almost 3 1/2 minutes in gave SC Upstate its only lead of the game at 5-3. ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ led 42-28 at halftime and outscored the Spartans 40-25 after intermission.

·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ leads the overall series 8-1, including 4-1 in Columbia. The 29-point win nearly doubles the previous average of 15.4 points per game for margin of victory the Gamecocks have over SC Upstate.

·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ’s four transfers (Cooper, Mack, Stute andÌý) entered having played a combined 430 games at the Division I level with 299 starts among them. The entire team’s 480 combined Division I starts ranks third in the Southeastern Conference behind only Mississippi State (514) and Texas A&M (502) entering this season.

KEY STAT

  • ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ knocked down 12 triples shooting 54.5 percent (12-for-22) from the field. Six different Gamecocks knocked down a 3-pointer with Cooper and Mack leading the way making three each.

NOTABLES

  • Meechie Johnson and Ta’Lon Cooper each had 15 points leading the Gamecocks in scoring. Johnson was an efficient 4-of-5 from the floor, leading Carolina with three assists.
  • Four players scored in double-figures for Carolina: Johnson (15), Cooper (15), B.J. Mack (13) and Myles Stute (10). The foursome combined for 53 of Carolina’s 82 points.
  • Sophomore guard Zachary Davis contributed key minutes on the defensive end for Carolina grabbing eight rebounds and generating three steals. His +/- of 15 was the third highest on the night behind Cooper (+23) and Jacobi Wright (+18).
  • The Gamecock defense allowed just 25.0 percent (4-for-16) from beyond the arc.
  • Carolina out-rebounded Upstate 45-27 and 10-6 on the offensive glass.
  • Tonight’s 29-point margin of victory was the highest in a home opener since a Nov. 9, 2013 win over Longwood, 82-44 (38 points).

UP NEXT

Carolina (1-0) heads to Charlotte for a Friday night matchup against Virginia Tech (1-0), part of the Hall of Fame Series at the Spectrum Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. (ET) and will be available on the ACC Network. Dave O’Brien (pxp) and Cory Alexander (analyst) will be on the call.

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