Leonard gets starting nod over Richardson in first SEC win
Coming into the game Wednesday night, Carolina was winless in league play, losing by a double-figure average. The team typically fades away in the second half or rallies late to fall short of the win. According to coach Darrin Horn, it was time for a change.
Before the game, Damien Leonard was inserted into the starting lineup. The result? Something that has rarely been done this season. Two competitive halves in a row for the Gamecocks.
"We were winless in league play, so we started to look at numbers," Horn said. "Damien's numbers were really good. He was shooting over 45 percent from three during league play. He didn't make a ton tonight, but man he made some big ones. We always feel like the next shot is going to go in for him. He has also been really good defensively in terms of his focus and his effort, so we didn't really feel like we were giving up a whole lot with him."
All five of the starters played at least 29 minutes, and four played over thirty minutes. When asked about the starting five, Horn downplayed the significance of who starts and who comes off the bench.
"I'm not that concerned with who starts and who doesn't," Horn said. "We are just trying to go with the right picks and get the right flow throughout a game and this one worked for us tonight."
The stat sheets tell a different tale. Fifty of the team's 56 points came from the starting five. Forward R.J. Slawson was the lone bright spot off the bench for the Gamecocks, with four points and nine rebounds in 15 minutes. Six of those boards came on the offensive end, something Horn was quick to point out.
"Huge night on the glass for R.J. Slawson and Anthony Gill," Horn said. "I think when Slawson's mind is right and he is focused, he is one of the best offensive rebounders in this league. For him to grab six in a game, that is absolutely huge. Now we just have to focus on the goal from day one, which is to keep getting better."
Offensive rebounds were the deciding factor in this game as the Gamecocks pulled down 19 offensive boards. As a result, Carolina shot 68 times, 19 more than Alabama. This allowed USC to overcome a shooting percentage of 32 from the field, compared to 43 percent for the Tide.
"I was really proud of our guys," Horn said. "This group is a resilient bunch. We have been through a lot and our guys have been playing their hearts out, I know we haven't been real good, but it's unbelievable the effort that we are getting out of these guys. That has never been in question."
The Gamecocks had only nine turnovers on the night in comparison to 23
turnovers in their last game against Auburn. Horn says that his guys were more focused tonight.
"We were going against a team that's very good defensively," Horn said. "So we had to have a good mindset and go out and play our best and have a chance to win in the last five minutes and that is what we did."
When it came down to those last five minutes, it was that same starting five that started the game who came on and finished it off.
It was the same five who went on a 7-1 run to start the second half, a point in the game where USC has gone cold lately. On the last possession for Alabama, it was Bruce Ellington and Damontre Harris who combined to cause the turnover. Twenty-two seconds later, it was Ellington driving for the winning layup.
"From my vantage point tonight, we had a team tonight in South Carolina who played inspired basketball," Alabama head coach Anthony Grant said. "They played as a team and we didn't."