South Carolina makes quick work of Presbyterian with free throw dominance

Mike Sharavjamts was one of four South Carolina players in double figures as the Gamecocks jumped out to an early big lead and coasted to an 81-61 win over Presbyterian Wednesday evening in Columbia, S.C.

Sharavjamts led the way with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Grant Polk added 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. Jordan Butler and Myles Stute tallied 11 apiece with a combined 12 rebounds (seven and five, respectively) to keep the Gamecocks (3-0) perfect on the season.

Jonah Pierce tallied 19 points and nine points for the Blue Hose (3-2). He was supplemented by 15 points and five boards from Carl Parrish.

In a game that was matched up statistically in a number of areas -- both teams had 37 rebounds and 10 or fewer turnovers -- shooting at the free throw line and from 3-point range were the difference in this result.

While Presbyterian shot very marginally better from the floor (42.4% to 42.1%), it was 0 for 8 from outside the arc and 11 for 20 (55%) from the charity stripe.

South Carolina made eight 3-pointers on 25 attempts for a 32% hit rate and made 25 of 32 free throws (78.1%).

From the start of Wednesday's game, South Carolina put out a strong effort that made sure there wouldn't be another scare like it had in Sunday's overtime win over Southern Miss.

The Blue Hose made just 2 of their first 13 shots, as the Gamecocks opened up a 16-6 lead at the halfway point of the first half.

A 9-0 South Carolina run in the final minutes ballooned what was a 32-18 lead into a 41-22 halftime advantage. Pierce scored 12 of his points in the first half, but needed 15 shots to tally them.

Another Gamecocks run, this one 7-0, immediately out of halftime increased the lead to 26 points. It remained 20-plus points the rest of the way, with Presbyterian going on a 9-0 run in the closing minutes to bring the margin down from its peak of 34 points.

--Field Level Media