Free throws help South Carolina come out on top
CLEMSON—The free throw line was first introduced by the NBA prior to the 1954 season as a way to penalize a backcourt violation. If the violating team was over the team foul limit, a backcourt foul would result in a “three to make two” situation, in which a team was given up to three attempts to make two foul shots.
By 1979, the rule had been extended to what it is now, with foul shots being awarded for any number of reasons.
Against Clemson, South Carolina was likely grateful for the establishment of the free throw line, as it came in handy for the Gamecocks in the 58-55 comeback win. And though foul shots would ultimately push USC to victory, it almost cost it the game.
With 7.5 seconds left in the game and a three-point lead, the Gamecocks made the mistake of fouling Clemson’s Tanner Smith in the act of shooting from 3-point range, sending him to the free throw line with three attempts.
Smith, who is a 72.2 percent career free-throw shooter, made the first shot, but missed the second, ending Clemson’s reasonable chances of getting a tie to send the game to overtime. He would make the third shot to cut South Carolina’s lead to one.
The Tigers fouled USC’s lone senior, Malik Cooke, instantly. Cooke, who had missed two free throws earlier in the second half, stepped up to the free throw line with complete calm.
“When I came up to the line, I was just thinking that I was going to make these shots,” Cooke said. “I just kept on with my routine and I knew it was going in.”
Cooke’s two free throws sealed the game for Gamecocks, as guard Andre Young missed a heave from half-court for Clemson with a second left on the clock.
South Carolina, which had trailed by as much as 10 just before halftime, didn’t shoot any free throws in the first half, despite having 16 points in the paint. Trailing by four with just over five minutes to play, USC hit all six of its free throw attempts.
Though the Gamecocks shot just 42 percent from the field, USC was able to establish itself inside, as opposed to in the loss to Providence, in which the Gamecocks took 30 attempts from 3-point range. Against Clemson, South Carolina took half as many.
“We felt like we were doing what we wanted to do, offensively – we wanted to get to the foul line,” said USC coach Darrin Horn. “We just told our guys to be aggressive and that we’ll get those calls, and that when we did get it in the post, make sure you take it to the basket and don’t fade and avoid contact. It was definitely a focus coming in.”
With 1:22 to play in the game, Horn appeared to be drawing a play with his players gathered around him during a timeout. Freshman forward Anthony Gill got the ball on the subsequent possession and pulled up for a three, giving the Gamecocks their last lead of the game.
Despite the shooting woes that the Gamecocks had in their last outing, Horn was happy to see Gill take the shot.
“We wanted Anthony (Gill) to take that shot,” Horn said. “He showed a lot more assertiveness today, which is what we wanted. We talked to all our guys about what they needed to do to make our team better, and Anthony’s was to be assertive and aggressive. He’s a matchup problem, and he really stepped up tonight, especially when it mattered most.”
Horn, who appeared more animated on the sideline than usual, collected his first road win in the state of South Carolina with the victory and snapped a three-game losing streak.
“We were into it,” Horn said. “It’s an important game, and I told our guys, we’re going to go out and fight for 40 minutes. We tell them all the time, we win and we lose together, and I’m a part of that. We don’t blame players. If we don’t play well, then coaches didn’t do a very good job. We’re a part of it, so if they were going to fight, then I was going to fight, too.”