Mar 21, 2024; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Jacobi Wright (1) shoots the ball against Oregon Ducks guard Jackson Shelstad (3) during the first half in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Jacobi Wright scored 20 points and Collin Murray-Boyles added 19 to go along with 16 rebounds, lifting host South Carolina to an 86-64 victory over South Carolina State on Friday in Columbia, S.C.
Wright sank four 3-pointers to highlight his performance and help the Gamecocks (1-1) improve to 23-0 all-time against the Bulldogs (1-1).
Murray-Boyles, a preseason All-Southeastern Conference selection, made seven of eight shots from the floor.
South Carolina’s Jamarii Thomas scored 14 points and Zachary Davis added 10 to go along with six rebounds for the Gamecocks, who bounced back from a season-opening 74-71 loss to North Florida on Monday.
South Carolina controlled the interior, holding a 42-24 edge in points in the paint while also recording a decisive 51-36 advantage in rebounds. Myles Stute had seven boards to offset a dismal 1-for-8 shooting performance from the floor — including 1-for-6 from 3-point range.
As a team, the Gamecocks continued to struggle from beyond the arc. South Carolina made 8 of 27 shots from 3-point range on Friday after going 5-for-16 in the season opener.
Michael Teal scored 11 points and Wilson Dubinsky added 10 for the Bulldogs, who shot 3-for-16 from 3-point range.
The Gamecocks bolted out of the blocks by scoring the first seven points of the game, capped by an alley-oop from Wright to Davis.
South Carolina State made a modest run before Morris Ugusuk and Wright each drained a pair of 3-pointers to stake the Gamecocks to a 30-19 lead.
The Bulldogs attempted to counter, however Murray-Boyles converted a three-point play as the Gamecocks scored nine of the final 11 points and take a 41-25 advantage into intermission.
South Carolina’s Nick Pringle made a layup before Teal scored seven straight points to bring South Carolina State within 11 points early in the second half. Pringle converted a three-point play, Wright sank a 3-pointer and Murray-Boyles added a layup to build the lead to 51-32.
The Gamecocks were not threatened the rest of the way.
–Field Level Media
