Gamecocks use big second half stretch to down Western Michigan

CONWAY, S.C.—It started innocuously enough, Maik Kotsar using his 6-foot-plus wingspan to push a ball in for a layup and give the Gamecocks a four-point lead. But seven minutes and 12 points later and the Gamecocks were the owners of a 16-point margin.

Kotsar’s bucket sparked a huge run in the second half for the Gamecocks Sunday as they’d use that and smothering defensive pressure to hold off Western Michigan 79-66 in what was Frank Martin's 100th win at South Carolina.

“He continues to get more confidence,” Martin said of Kotsar, who finished with six points. “We tend to forget because we went to the Final Four and he played so much that he’s five games into his sophomore year. He’s still trying to figure it out.”

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After giving up a season-high 34 points in the first half to the Broncos, the defense would stifle them to just 45 percent shooting in the second half and outscored them 44-32 over the last 20 minutes.

During the double-digit run, Western Michigan was held scoreless for about seven minutes of game time, going 0-for-2 from the field and turning the ball over seven times.

Thomas Wilder, who had 11 points in the first half, would struggle with true freshman Justin Minaya guarding him, scoring four points in the second period and took just one shot.

“Justin is way beyond his years maturity-wise, so he was able to do the best job of keeping number 10 in front of him,” Martin said. “I wasn’t happy with the offensive adjustments I tried to put in place, but I was real happy with the defensive adjustments that our guys executed today.”

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Frank Booker, Minaya and Kotsar would all pick up steals as the Gamecocks effectively put the game out of reach after their run. They would also out-rebound its opponent 33-30 in the second half after picking up just 10 boards in the first period.

"We forced them into some tough shots and cleaned up the glass which allowed us to run,” Martin said. “When you run you don’t have to deal with a set defense. Their defense is good and when it’s set that’s a problem.”

Over the course of those seven minutes, South Carolina would hit on six of eight shots as five different players scored: Booker, Minaya, Kotsar, Chris Silva and Kory Holden.

After scoring a season-high 11 points Friday, Holden would follow it up with another six points Sunday as the guards combined for 40 points on 38.7 percent shooting.

Wes Myers would notch his 1,000th career point and have a season-high14 points on 5-for-9 shooting. He also played a season-high 27 minutes while leading the point.

He was able to get to the basket, slashing through Western Michigan’s zone defense and contributed to South Carolina’s dominating 36 points in the paint.

“I’m still at the point where I’m trying to figure out where my role is and where I fit in,” Myers said. “Today was a good day, I guess.”

Also see: Josh Low's instant, in-depth analysis of Saturday's win

The Gamecocks now have a little over a week before their next game Nov. 27 at Florida International, the team’s first game not in South Carolina.

With Thanksgiving coming up, it’ll give the team a chance to rest after playing five games in nine days to start the season. Players will get to go home for the holiday before coming back for the final push before conference play starts.

“Tuesday we’ll go (in practice) and then they’re off Wednesday and Thursday,” Martin said. “So if they want to go home for thanksgiving they can. For the guys that can’t get home, we’re going to have them over at my house. Then we’re back to work on Friday.”

Moment that mattered: Western Michigan made a quick run with less than two minutes to play to cut it to a 10-point South Carolina lead but the Gamecocks would close the game on a 6-3 run.

Player of the game: Wes Myers had a season-high 14 points leading the point for the majority of the game. He played 27 minutes and shot 5-for-9 from the field.

Up Next: South Carolina has over a week off before playing at Florida International in the team’s first road game outside South Carolina. Tip is scheduled for Nov. 27 at 7 p.m.