It was a battle throughout the entire game, but South Carolina was able to overcome major foul issues and a 14-point deficit to get the 76-68 win over No. 18/16 Kentucky.
The Gamecocks looked to be in control early, leading 19-12 after eight minutes of play and had probably their best shooting start of the season, shooting 71 percent during that time. The shooting struggled for the remainder of the half, as they were held scoreless for nearly four minutes. Despite the issues, the Gamecocks trailed by just three points going into the locker room.
The momentum continued to be off in the second half as it took over three minutes to get on the board and the Wildcats were able to take advantage, pulling away by as much as 14. That lead slowly started to dwindle, South Carolina found their momentum and secured the win.
"Any time you're down in the second half and figure out a way to come back, it's good," head coach Frank Martin said. "The thing I'm proudest is we've had moments like this in previous games, pretty much not here, away from home ... we're looking for leadership. When things are not going your way, somebody to give everyone courage. First time all year I saw it today."
One of those guys Martin saw the leadership in was Chris Silva, who had another strong night. Due to a late free throw, he scored 27 points, tying his career high. Martin also commented on the growth of Silva, seeing how he interacts with the rest of the team and wants to help everyone improve.
It wasn't the cleanest win for the Gamecocks, as fouls proved to be a huge issue for both teams. There were 59 total fouls in the game, including 31 after the first half, and three players fouled out by the end.
Martin wanted more of a crowd during the first half of the season, and he certainly got it tonight. Everyone mentioned how much the atmosphere of the crowd helped propel the Gamecocks to the win.
"We've got incredible fans at this school; they make an unbelievable difference for our basketball team when they show up," Martin said. "When we were struggling there in the second half and going through that moment, we made a shot and then we got a stop and the crowd started going nuts, and it gave our guys life... and it rattled Kentucky, and that gave us opportunity to get back in the game."
The win gives South Carolina (12-6, 3-3 SEC) their first win over Kentucky since 2014. South Carolina hosts No. 21/22 Tennessee on Saturday.