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It wasn't always pretty for the Gamecocks to earn their 3rd win of the season. In fact, South Carolina trailed 31-28 at halftime, after there were 11 lead changes in the first half. G.G. Jackson who is nearly averaging a double-double on the season matched that output in this one with 22 points and 6 rebounds. As we expected, the USC Upstate Guards led the way with Jordan Gainey leading the team with 13 points.

When the Gamecocks came out in this one without Meechie Johnson or Chico Carter, who are 2 of the top scorers for South Carolina, we knew it was going to be a difficult road ahead when it came to scoring. Both are classified as “day-to-day" according to a team spokesperson. We will keep you updated on their status as we learn more. Nonetheless, Jackson, Hayden Brown, and Jacobi Wright found a way to manufacture enough points to pull this one out, despite a few stretches of cold shooting, including missing 7 of 8 straight baskets around the midpoint of the first half. We thought the Gamecocks could use their length to dominate the Spartans in this one, but at halftime, Upstate had 18 points to the Gamecocks' 12 points in the paint. In the second half, however, South Carolina found a way to flip the script with 28 points in the paint compared to 12 for the Spartans. South Carolina also dominated the free throw line, shooting 8-11 while Upstate only made 3 for 9.

Another key factor was the emergence of Benjamin Bosman Verdonk who collected 8 points and 7 rebounds, both of which were predominantly in the second half. It's tough to see a path for the Gamecocks to continually compete in SEC play without Meechie or Chico, but having some of the ancillary options to step up in their absence should pay off when they return.

Obviously, no one is looking at a win over USC Upstate as a landmark triumph, but South Carolina clearly made some half-time adjustments and responded in this one, which is something they failed to do at any point last weekend. There will continue to be some ups and downs throughout this season with a young team still figuring out its identity, but one thing has been fairly consistent: this team plays hard for Coach Paris, and that's something that the program should be able to hang its hat on as Paris and his staff attempt to build this program from the ground up.

South Carolina's next game is on Wednesday, November 30th at 9 pm EST when they go on the road to George Washington University. As always, Gamecock Scoop will have plenty of info in advance of that matchup next week.