South Carolina out to avoid letdown against Radford after big win

Field Level Media|published: Sun 22nd December, 07:08 2024

Dec 17, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Myles Stute (10) celebrates a three point basket against the Clemson Tigers in the second half of South Carolina’s 91-88 overtime win at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

South Carolina will host Radford on Sunday afternoon in Columbia after posting an emotional rivalry win.

The Gamecocks (8-3) upset in-state rival No. 25 Clemson 91-88 in overtime on Tuesday. Leading scorer Collin Murray-Boyles racked up 15 of his 22 points in the second half for South Carolina, which has won five consecutive games and six in a row at home.

Myles Stute scored a season-high 19 points on five 3-pointers against Clemson. Last season, he averaged 8.3 points per game as the Gamecocks tied a school record with 26 wins and went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.

While he's off to a slow start this season -- Stute is shooting 34.6 percent from 3-point range (18 of 52) and is averaging 6.1 points per game, both below last season's numbers -- he still has the confidence of Gamecocks coach Lamont Paris.

"He's a worker that has a process," Paris said. "He doesn't have that process because he's shooting the ball well or poorly. He shoots it well because he has that process. He's a professional in terms of the way he approaches the work. There's no lack of belief, there's been a lack of performance to some degree to his standard, but no lack of belief on his end or on mine. I believe when he lets it go it should go in most of the time."

The Highlanders (10-4) posted a season-high point total when they pounded Division III Virginia-Lynchburg 122-63 in a home game on Friday.

Jarvis Moss and Jonas Sirtautas each scored 19 points to lead the Highlanders. Chace Davis, Xavier Foster and Truth Harris came off the bench to add 12 points apiece.

It's been a breakout season for Moss, who leads Radford in scoring with an average of 15.7 points per game. The senior transferred from Davidson, where he played in 17 games and scored 18 points in 2023-24.

The Gamecocks are the fourth team from a power conference on Radford's non-conference schedule and the last chance to fine-tune things before Big South play begins for the Highlanders on Jan. 2.

"We've had a brutal non-conference schedule," coach Darris Nichols said. "Every year we are going to challenge ourselves. We went out west, came back home and now have a quick turnaround to South Carolina."

-- Field Level Media

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