Forward senior Chris Silva had a record breaking night. His career-high of points scored led South Carolina to knocking off No. 16 Auburn on Tuesday.
"Every time we step on the court, we think it’s going to be a special night," Silva said. “Especially when the fans come out and support us.”
South Carolina (10-8, 5-1 SEC) won in a thriller at Colonial Life Arena against the Auburn Tigers (13-5, 2-3 SEC) by a score of 80-77 on Tuesday night.
The Gamecocks started off with a 9-6 lead five minutes in while holding the Tigers to just 22 percent shooting during that span.
With this lead, Auburn was also in foul trouble early on. The Tigers committed nine fouls compared to South Carolina’s three in the first six minutes of the ball game.
The Gamecocks continued dominating in the first half by going on an 8-0 run, shooting 64 percent as opposed to Auburn’s mere 29 percent from the field.
Head coach Frank Martin gave much credit to Silva and junior forward Maik Kotsar for his team’s defensive success.
“When [Kotsar and Silva] are on the court, our defensive efficiency numbers are way up," Martin said. “When both are out, our defensive efficiency numbers are no good.”
After the media timeout with 11:07 left in the first half, the Tigers responded with a 6-2 run of their own while the the Gamecocks offense shot one of eight from the field during that span, decreasing the Gamecocks’ lead to seven.
Auburn's 13-1 lasted over three minutes with no Gamecock field goals, which put the Tigers on top, 33-31. Auburn took a 38-37 lead at halftime.
The Gamecocks cruised in the middle of the second half as they went on another 9-0 run to increase the South Carolina lead to 71-61. However, the Tigers responded with a 14-2 run that lasted over three minutes to take the lead.
Auburn soon found themselves trailing after sophomore forward Felipe Haase put the Gamecocks back into the lead, 78-77, with 25.1 seconds left in the ball game.
“I’ve been shooting at night and stuff,” Haase said. “So, it’s pretty much what I put in is what is out.”
When Auburn got the ball back they were unable to score as Silva took the rebound off a missed jumper from the Tigers’ junior forward Danjel Purifoy. Purifoy immediately fouled to put Silva at the line with 2.6 seconds to go.
After Silva shot two successful shots from the free throw line, the Tigers inbounded the ball, but were unable to get a final shot off, which secured South Carolina's win.
The Gamecocks shot well from the field, shooting 4.9 percent in the game with an impressive 52.8 shooting percentage in the second half only.
Silva ended the night with a career high of 32 points and 14 rebounds, and senior guard Hassani Gravett finished with 13 points and six assists.
“When [Silva] is on the court, he helps us,” Martin said. “When he stays on the court, he does so many things that don’t come up in stat sheets to help us win.”
South Carolina now has a 5-1 SEC record. The Gamecocks will take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-10, 2-4 Big 12) in Stillwater, Oklahoma as a part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge at 2 p.m. on Saturday.