Sindarius Thornwell's return from suspension started with a perfect swish, and he capped off his double-double with a few key plays down the stretch to secure the Gamecocks' 67-61 road win over Georgia.
The Gamecocks ran their lead up to nine during the second half, but Georgia fought back late, shrinking the margin down to a single possession in the final minutes. With just over four minutes to play, Thornwell blocked a potential game-tying three from J.J. Frazier to force a shot clock violation.
South Carolina would extend its lead back up to six, but a quick spurt from the Bulldogs cut it back to one with under a minute to play. Even after missing six games, there was no hesitation from Thornwell, as he drove hard to the rim, missed a lay-in, grabbed his own rebound and tipped it back in to make it a three-point game.
On the other end, the senior guard tipped a pass away and dove on the loose ball to secure a South Carolina possession with 30 seconds left, essentially sealing the game.
"I saw the ball rolling, and I saw Juwan [Parker] reaching for it, and I just dove on the floor trying to get the ball," Thornwell said of his last-minute steal, one of his six swipes on the night.
"He came across the court, airborne, to go after that loose ball," Frank Martin added. "If not, they pick it up, and it's their possession. Who knows what happens? He gives us a toughness to make some plays that other guys aren't ready to make."
During Thornwell's six-game absence, sophomore point guard PJ Dozier filled in the gaps in terms of scoring, notching four games of 20 points or more. When Thornwell returned Wednesday night against Georgia, he put to bed any concerns that the two dynamic guards couldn't thrive together.
Thornwell took South Carolina's first shot of the game, swishing a midrange jumper as he curled around a screen. He would make just one of his next six shots, but finished 8-of-17 from the floor for 19 points. Even with Thornwell's 17 shots, Dozier had a major role in the offense, hoisting 17 of his own on his way to a 24-point performance.
"You know how much we missed him in all aspects of the game," Dozier said of Thornwell. Rebounding, scoring, defending. Just having him back is great for us."
Thornwell came in as the Gamecocks' leading rebounder, and he grabbed 11 boards Wednesday night. In addition to his six steals, the senior contributed three of the team's eight blocks.
Martin pointed out that his young frontcourt players have struggled to rebound, and while South Carolina was still out-rebounded by six against Georgia, having Thornwell back should make a big difference.