South Carolina 69, Cornell 45: Sindarius Thornwell scored 13 of his 14 points in the first half as the Gamecocks routed the Big Red in the opening round of the Charleston Classic.
Mindaugas Kacinas posted his third career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds for South Carolina (2-1), which will face Charlotte in the semifinals Friday. Laimonas Chatkevicius added eight points and seven boards as the Gamecocks assisted on 16 of their 22 field goals and converted 17-of-21 from the charity stripe.
JoJo Fallas scored all 11 of his team-high points after the break and Galal Cancer went 2-of-13 from the floor to finish with 10 points for Cornell (2-2), which will square off against Penn State in Friday's consolation round. The Big Red shot a season-low 26.9 percent, including 25 percent beyond the arc.
Cornell held an 11-9 lead less than five minutes into the contest when Thornwell’s second 3-pointer and a jumper from Kacinas sparked a run of 13 consecutive points. Shonn Miller’s layup brought the Big Red within seven points with just over four minutes left before the break, but the Gamecocks held Cornell scoreless until after intermission and used another triple from Thornwell to take a 35-21 halftime advantage.
David Onuorah’s tip-in on the Big Red’s first possession of the second half stopped a nearly five-minute scoreless stretch, but 10 consecutive missed shots by Cornell allowed South Carolina to build a 25-point cushion on a jumper by Chatkevicius with 13:19 to go. The Gamecocks pushed the margin to 28 moments later.
GAME NOTEBOOK: South Carolina’s 11 turnovers were a season high. … Cornell has surrendered at least 13 offensive rebounds in three of its four games after giving up 14 on Thursday. … South Carolina has shot 33-of-40 from the foul line over its last two contests.
Cornell | South Carolina | |
JoJo Fallas 11 | Scoring | Sindarius Thornwell 14 |
Devin Cherry 2 | Assists | Tyrone Johnson 5 |
Devin Cherry 5 | Rebounds | Mindaugas Kacinas 11 |
Galal Cancer 5 | Free Throws Made | Mindaugas Kacinas 4 |
Devin Cherry 2 | Steals | Marcus Stroman 3 |
Dave LaMore 2 | Blocks | Michael Carrera 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Cornell | 45 | 26.9 | 5-20 | 12-16 | 6 | 28 | 6 | 6 | 17 |
South Carolina | 69 | 37.9 | 8-22 | 17-21 | 16 | 38 | 5 | 10 | 11 |