South Carolina Use March Magic, Upset #3 Baylor in Sweet 16
The atmosphere is special at the Garden like I have said time and time again. In game 1 of 2 for the night the crowd was tense with an Elite Eight bid on the line. The Gamecocks being the higher “Cinderella” team in the game had just as much a chance to beat the 3 seeded Baylor. Who would have thought that of all the teams in the East Region, we would see a 7 seed and a miseeded 3 seed in the Sweet 16? The magic of March I guess. Call this a possible Cinderella game if you want, but everyone knows that anything can happen.
South Carolina prove the magic of March in the first half, leading by 16 at one point in the game. Baylor got off to a slow start, hitting a dunk, then going 0-4 to let Carolina get out to an early 5-2 lead. South Carolina would go on a roll for themselves, hitting three straight field goals to extend the lead to 4. The defense for the Gamecocks was solid in the first 7 minutes, holding Baylor to 2-11 from the field. As well for Baylor, holding SC to no baskets for a solid four minutes, allowing them to cut the lead to 3. Baylor would catch a little heat, going on a 7-0 to take the lead 15-13 with 9:48 left to go. Right back came the Gamecocks and they went on a 21-3 run to take a 16-point lead and put them up double digits. Silva and Thorton were the key to the run, scoring 8 points combined. Dozier with the 3 ball put South Carolina up 16 with a 1:13 left to go, to cap the first half run. South Carolina led 37-22, Thornwell having 10 for the Gamecocks and LUAL-ACUIL JR having 7 for the Bears.
The Gamecocks picked right up where the left off, making the lead 20 with 16 minutes left to play. South Carolina’s defense was amazing throughout the game, only half Baylor to 28 points in 28 mins of play. Baylor would try to post a little comeback, cutting the lead to 16 with 11:52 left to play. A 3 pointer by Lecomte cut the lead to 13, giving the Bears a spark that they needed this late in the game. Back to back 3’s by the Gamecocks ended the run for the Bears and put SC in command with a 55-38 lead. South Carolina never gave up the lead in the second half and would close out with the victory. Thornwell was my player of the game for the Gamecocks, scoring 24 points. South Carolina is set to take on the winner of Wisconsin and Florida. South Carolina will play again Sunday, tip TBD.
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By Jake Martino
