In their last game before entering SEC play, South Carolina fell to Memphis 54-70 after an abysmal shooting performance that saw the Gamecocks go just 18 of 58 from the field.
South Carolina trailed 33 to 28 at the half, yet came out of halftime as the apparent aggressor. They held the Tigers scoreless for the first four minutes of the half, but as was the theme of the night, were unable to turn their defense into offense. The Gamecocks would not lead anytime throughout the second half.
This initial defensive showing by the Gamecocks out of halftime would eventually be countered by the Tigers, as Dedric Lawson and the rest of the Memphis Tigers eventually found their groove. Lawson led the Tigers with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists.
Many of South Carolina’s struggles stemmed from the foul trouble of their stars. Both Chris Silva and PJ Dozier had four fouls by the 8:55 mark of the second half, and both eventually fouled out of the game. This foul trouble led to both playing less minutes than they are accustomed to, and many times seemed to interrupt any groove the Gamecocks found themselves getting into.
Dozier, hampered by his foul trouble, scored just 13 points on the night as he struggled to lead the Gamecocks as he had in the six games prior. Dozier had averaged 20.8 points per game through the last six games, and had been the main source of offense for Frank Martin since Sindarius Thornwell's suspension 6 games prior.
Duane Notice continued his streaky play that has plagued his entire season, scoring just two points and missing all seven of his three point attempts. This comes after his 17 point performance against Lander. On the season, Notice has recorded six games with at least ten points, yet he has failed to score double digits in consecutive games.
South Carolina will begin SEC play Wednesday as they take on Georgia at 7:00 p.m.