Men’s Hoop: South Carolina Tops Catamounts 68-50

Posted on , updated on by George Commo

Courtesy Vermont Sports Information

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Vermont came into Thursday night in search of its first-ever win over a Southeastern Conference (SEC) foe but could not pull off the upset over 20th-ranked South Carolina. The Catamounts fell on the road to the Gamecocks 68-50 in non-conference action.

Vermont drops to 6-3 on the season while No. 20 South Carolina stays unbeaten at 6-0.

UVM shot 40.7% (11-for-27) in the first half and nearly matched the USC in rebounding for the night, 36-30, but South Carolina used 48 points in the paint to its advantage to seal the victory.

The Catamounts were led by Anthony Lamb and his team-high 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting. The freshman grabbed three rebounds off the glass and recorded a steal. Dre Wills followed with eight points, five rebounds, and made 4-of-5 free throw attempts. Payton Henson posted a game-high eight boards, including four on the offensive glass.

South Carolina had four players reach double figures as PJ Dozier tallied a game-high 21 points. Dozier added six rebounds, three steals, and posted an assist. Maik Kotsar shot 7-of-10 from the floor for 14 points. Chris Silva contributed 12 points while Sindarious Thornwell charted 11 points.

In the first half, Vermont held South Carolina’s lead to only a two-possession game through the opening 10 minutes, but the Gamecocks built an eight-point lead after Dozier banked in a layup off the window at 6:18. The Cats cut the deficit to only three points after Trae Bell-Haynes hit a free throw, but the Gamecocks produced a 19-11 run over the final five minutes of the half and took a 43-32 lead into the locker room.

UVM’s defense held USC to only 35.3% (12-for-34) shooting in the second half, but the Gamecocks held the green and gold to only a pair of field field goals through the first eight minutes of the final period to prevent the Cats from mounting any sort of comeback.

Vermont returns home for a three-game home stand, starting with Dartmouth on Wednesday (Dec. 7) at 7 p.m. Single game tickets can be purchased at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or at the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday.  The game can be seen live for free in HD via AmericaEast.TV.