In the moment, Jermaine Couisnard wasn’t even thinking about it.
Couisnard was just focusing on the game at hand and ultimately coming out with a win, but the Gamecocks were in the middle of one of their best defensive stretches in recent memory.
The Gamecocks pulled out a 69-58 win over Tulsa Sunday thanks in large part to a dominant defensive stretch for the majority of the second half.
"That’s something we should always do,” Couisnard said. “I was focusing on when they turned the all over to convert on the other end.”
Also see: Instant analysis from the Tulsa win
Right after Tulsa took a two-point lead with just under 11 minutes to play, the Gamecocks immediately responded with a 15-0 run to put the game out of reach with the Golden Hurricane failing to score for almost 10 minutes.
In that stretch the Gamecocks saw their lead balloon to 13 points with their defense beginning to round into form.
South Carolina’s defense forced five turnovers while Tulsa went 0-for-11 from the field during the run and missed two free throws.
“Our resolve defensively stayed true, stayed strong and allowed us to get in the open court and get some shots,” Frank Martin said. “Yesterday we allowed offensive mistakes to impact us defensively. We didn’t let that happen today.”
Also see: Ten stats from Saturday's loss to Georgia
Meanwhile offensively the Gamecocks (1-1) turned things up offensively with Justin Minaya, AJ Lawson and TJ Moss sparking the run.
The trio accounted for 13 of the 15 points with four steals, eight rebounds and three assists as South Carolina gained control of the game.
Minaya, after a quiet first game against Liberty, responded well with an 11-point game on 5-for-10 shooting, one rebound shy of a double-double.
“He was a lot better defensively,” Martin said. “Yesterday Justin was in slow motion. His energy, our team loves his energy. He brings an energy and spirit about him every day. I can’t answer for him, but it wasn’t there yesterday. It was today. Give him credit.”
Minaya was one of three players in double figures Sunday with AJ Lawson (17 points) and Jermaine Couisnard (20 points) combining to shoot 12-for-23 from the field and 8-for-15 from three.
Eight different Gamecocks scored as South Carolina finished shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from three.
“I thought that was a heck of a team win. We need Keyshawn to play better. We need just into play that way. We need AJ and Jermaine to play like first-team all league players. We need our bigs to help us a little more than they are right now. That takes times. That comes as the season goes on.”
The Gamecocks (1-1) got off to a slow start, falling behind 7-0 in the early going but responded well in the first half, ending on a 34-26 run, before clamping down in the second half.
It’s a much-needed win for South Carolina, who was outpaced by Liberty yesterday.
“We have some fighters,” Couisnard said. “We can play together and when we get to rolling and play with confidence we’re going to be a good, good team.”
Player of the game: Justin Minaya responded well after a slow start last week, putting up 11 points and nine rebounds on an efficient day shooting. He was a big piece of the 15-0 run that clinched the game.
Stat of the game: South Carolina had 15 fast break points, 11 of which came in the second half.
Up next: South Carolina has six days off before heading out to play at No. 17 Houston Dec. 5. Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
