Thursday, February 20, 2020

The Item's Wednesday Watch 2.19.20

South Carolina guard Destanni Henderson (3) attempts a pass in traffic during the Gamecocks' 95-44 win over Vanderbilt on Monday in Columbia.

No. 1 USC pounds Vandy 95-44 for 19th straight victory

South Carolina guard AJ Lawson (0) and the Gamecocks' recent surge might give them a chance to make the NCAA Tournament.

SEC stacked with NCAA Tournament bubble teams

Connecticut's Christyn Williams, left, and the Huskies dropped out of the top five in The Associated Press Top 25 polls for the first time since 2007.

UConn's top five streak ends in AP women's basketball poll

South Carolina guard Zia Cooke (1) celebrates a three-point basket against Auburn during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020, in Columbia, S.C.

Boston, Cooke lead top-ranked USC to 79-53 win over Auburn

USC, Clemson open with wins

Saturday, February 15

COLUMBIA - South Carolina scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning and opened its baseball season with a 10-0 victory over Holy Cross on Friday at Founders Park. Bryant Bowen hit a 3-run home run in the first inning to make it 3-0. …

SEC's bubble teams need to start making better impression

Saturday, February 15

Here are a few things to watch in Southeastern Conference basketball this week: GAME OF THE WEEKEND Mississippi State (15-9, 6-5 SEC) at Arkansas (16-8, 4-7): This game features two bubble teams that desperately need a win to boost their NCAA …

South Carolina receives NCAA notice for basketball program

Saturday, February 15

COLUMBIA - South Carolina became the latest school to receive an NCAA notice of allegations over the federal probe into college basketball. Athletic director Ray Tanner said Thursday the school received the notice about a violation alleged to …

South Carolina pulls away early, beats reeling Georgia

Friday, February 14

ATHENS, Ga. - South Carolina credits its defense for its growing collection of double-digit Southeastern Conference wins. Against Georgia, that defense was overwhelming. AJ Lawson scored 20 points and South Carolina held Georgia to one field …

The Item's Wednesday Watch 2.12.20

Wednesday, February 12

The Item’s Wednesday Watch is a weekly look at the buzz around tri-county sports. The Item sports staff will pick its most noteworthy stories, stats and quotes for the week. 1. USC women …

More USC Gamecocks News

Harris, No. 1 South Carolina earn first win over UConn 70-52

COLUMBIA - South Carolina's Tyasha Harris really thought coming in she wasn't bothered by her losing history against UConn. Then Harris and the top-ranked Gamecocks won - and her attitude and emotions changed quickly. "Yes, this feels pretty …

Five-star DT Jordan Burch signs with South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Highly regarded, five-star defensive tackle Jordan Burch has ended the suspense and signed with South Carolina. Burch, a 6-foot-5, 275 pound tackle from Columbia, had committed to the Gamecocks in December, but did not send …

Boston leads No. 1 USC past No. 25 Arkansas 86-65

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - South Carolina freshman Aliyah Boston shined even brighter than her team's flashy yellow and orange shoes. The freshman forward had 18 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocked shots in the top-ranked Gamecocks' 86-65 win at No. …

Tyree's big night leads Ole Miss past S. Carolina 84-70

OXFORD, Miss. - Mississippi coach Kermit Davis convinced his team to begin a brand new season with a win Wednesday night and it worked convincingly. Breein Tyree scored a career-high 38 points as Mississippi defeated South Carolina 84-70, …

Top heavy: Handful of elite programs hoard most top recruits

McKinnley Jackson, a huge and talented defensive tackle from Mississippi, was one of the few five-star recruits whose college choice was a mystery coming into signing day. "I'll keep this short, simple and sweet," Jackson said during a news …

Hammond's Burch still up in air with Carolina

When it comes to lack of clarity, the Iowa caucus has nothing on the Jordan Burch signing ceremony on Wednesday at the Hammond School gymnasium. The 5-star defensive end and four of his teammates gathered in front of media, family and some …

The Item’s Wednesday Watch

The Item’s Wednesday Watch is a weekly look at the buzz around tri-county sports. The Item sports staff will pick its most noteworthy stories, stats and quotes for the week. #1. LMA bowling …

South Carolina, Baylor headline top seeds in NCAA reveal

STORRS, Conn. - South Carolina, Baylor, Louisville and Oregon would be the four top seeds if the women's NCAA Women's Tournament began Monday. The NCAA on Monday provided its first snapshot of the top 16 teams in the tournament field. Those …

No. 1 South Carolina races to 27-0 lead, routs Ole Miss

OXFORD, Miss. - Despite an overwhelming defensive performance that held Mississippi scoreless in the first quarter and limited Ole Miss to two points in the first half, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley saw room for improvement. "I don't think we …

Lawson scores 19 as South Carolina holds off Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - A.J. Lawson scored 19 points for South Carolina and the Gamecocks never trailed but needed an Arkansas missed 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 79-77 victory on Wednesday night. Each time Arkansas pulled within a possession, …

Cambridge's big night lifts Auburn over South Carolina

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - After back-to-back blowout losses highlighted the Auburn offense's tendency to be stagnant, and at times nonexistent, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl leaned on a freshman off the bench to pull his team out of its two-game …

Kinlaw's humble beginning fuels his aggressive play

MOBILE, Ala. - Javon Kinlaw's motivation comes from his past, having lived at times without running water or electricity. Those humble beginnings drive the South Carolina defensive tackle to play with a different kind of aggression and have …

No. 1 South Carolina women beat No. 9 Mississippi St 81-79

COLUMBIA - Down nine points in the fourth quarter and close to getting run out of her building, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley didn't panic. Her top-ranked Gamecocks wouldn't let her. Tyasha Harris had a season-high 23 points and the Gamecocks …

South Carolina, Baylor lead women's Top 25

NEW YORK - South Carolina still sits atop The Associated Press women's basketball poll, with Baylor in second place. The Gamecocks received 22 first-place votes from a 30-member media panel Monday. The Lady Bears got six. UConn moved up to …

Top-ranked South Carolina dominates Missouri 78-45

COLUMBIA, Mo. - South Carolina earned its No. 1 ranking with a style coach Dawn Staley described as "fast and fluid." The Gamecocks showed they could overwhelm an opponent with their size in a half-court game on Thursday, beating Missouri …

Couisnard, South Carolina stun No. 10 Kentucky 81-78

COLUMBIA - Freshman Jermaine Couisnard made the most of his first college start. His success against No. 10 Kentucky could mean bigger things ahead for South Carolina. Couisnard had a career-high 26 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer as …

USC women continues to put in work as top-ranked team

COLUMBIA - South Carolina point guard Tyasha Harris didn't do a much celebrating when the Gamecocks ascended to the top of the rankings this week. She understands how tenuous it can be trying to hold onto the top. "It feels good, but we're going …

South Carolina new No. 1 in women's Top 25 after 1-2-3 lose

NEW YORK - South Carolina moved up three spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press women's college basketball poll after the top three teams from the previous week all lost. It was a rough week for ranked teams, with 11 of them losing at least one …

Cooke, Boston lead No. 4 South Carolina past Arkansas 91-82

COLUMBIA - South Carolina put the clamps on Chelsea Dungee and cruised to another win. Zia Cooke had 21 points, Aliyah Boston added 19 points and a career-high 25 rebounds and the fourth-ranked Gamecocks cleared another significant hurdle in its …

Sumter legends Kinard, Baker up for South Carolina Football Hall of Fame

Sumterites Terry Kinard and Art Baker are two of the 20 finalists for the 2020 class of the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame. Kinard had a College Football Hall of Fame career at Clemson before going on to an outstanding National Football …

Nembhard helps Florida roll past South Carolina 81-68

COLUMBIA - When Andrew Nembhard is on his game, Florida usually is, too. The Gators sophomore was certainly on against South Carolina, with 21 points and 10 assists in an 81-68 victory Tuesday night. Nembhard played with poise, flash and a …

No. 4 USC outlasts Alabama behind Boston's double-double

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) - No. 4 South Carolina used a strong fourth quarter to stifled any Alabama comeback bid late on Sunday. Aliyah Boston had 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Gamecocks to a 93-78 win over Alabama on Sunday …

Freshmen lead No. 4 USC past 13th-ranked Kentucky

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina coach Dawn Staley is trying not to get ahead of herself. As good as her freshmen-powered, fourth-ranked Gamecocks appear to be - and they looked plenty good in a 99-72 win over No. 13 Kentucky on Thursday …

More could be on the way in Clemson's top recruiting class

The 24 football players signed by Clemson earlier this month added up to the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, thus far, by the national analysts. According to the 247Sports composite ranking, Clemson signed six 5-star recruits and 11 …

Jones' 18 leads Stetson to 63-56 upset of South Carolina

By PETE IACOBELLI The Associated Press COLUMBIA - Christiaan Jones scored 18 points in his homecoming as Stetson beat a Southeastern Conference school for the first time since 2004 with a 63-56 victory over South Carolina on Monday. The …

USC star closer Price named to D1Baseball.com All-Decade team

Matt Price was the closer for the South Carolina baseball team during not only the best 3-year stretch in the program's history, but one of the best in college baseball history. Because of that, Price, a standout pitcher for Sumter High School …

Clemson, USC still have work to do after dead period

We've hit the pause button on the football recruiting scene until the middle of January. With the early signing period ending last Friday, the dead period gives coaches and unsigned recruits a bit of a breather before things go live again on Jan. …

Bolden leads South Carolina past No. 16 Virginia 70-59

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Jair Bolden made an early 3-pointer for South Carolina and drew a charge a short time later and paused, staring a Virginia player down after the play. It was a product of Bolden being excited to be playing against No. 16 …

No. 4 USC defeats South Dakota 73-60

COLUMBIA - South Carolina coach Dawn Staley has discovered the perfect role for reserve LeLe Grissett, one the transformed guard seems to be taking to more and more with each game. Grissett scored 17 points - her third straight game in double …

No. 5 USC women rout Duke 89-46 for 5th straight win

COLUMBIA - Dawn Staley sees a lot in common between her college team in Virginia and her current group at South Carolina. Both lock in on defense, each has multiple ways to score - and now the two programs have 40-plus point wins over …