Carolina Cruises By Benedict 92-47

COLUMBIA, S.C. (USC SID) — In the first-ever meeting between South Carolina and Benedict College, the Gamecocks came away with a decisive 92-47 win in the exhibition contest at Colonial Life Arena. Senior point guard Tyrone Johnson led all scorers with 23 points and added six rebounds and six assists. Benedict got on the scoreboard first with a jumper from forward Lafonzo Smith, but the Gamecocks stormed out to a 9-0 run ignited by the play of Johnson whose one-handed dunk started it. Three minutes later, a run-out led to Johnson lobbing the ball up to Thornwell for an emphatic alley-oop. Just before the 13-minute mark, the Tigers closed to within six at 13-7 with a 3-pointer from guard Justin Peeples. The Gamecocks responded with six points from Notice and Johnson’s first 3-pointer of the game to start an 18-4 run over the next five-plus minutes to push the lead to 37-14 with 5:17 left on the clock. Just as Benedict was able to get its deficit down to 17, Carolina ended the half on a 16-2 run with back-to-back 3-pointers coming from Johnson and Thornwell to go with six points from junior forward Laimonas Chatkevicius. The Gamecocks took a 55-25 lead into the break after shooting 19-of-34 (55.9 percent) and holding the Tigers to only eight made field goals in the opening 20 minutes. Carolina extended its lead to 39 nearly seven minutes into the second half after holding Benedict without a made field goal through the first seven-plus minutes of the set. The Gamecocks continued to build on their lead the rest of the way, ending the game with a 92-47 win. Junior guard Austin Constable did not play in the exhibition contest due to a left knee injury, and sophomore guard Justin McKie did not play due to a concussion.