Men’s basketball suffered their second loss of the season against South Carolina on Friday, falling to the Gamecocks 67-89.
The Revs struggled to score all game while failing to stop a series of South Carolina offensive runs. GW had high hopes going into the contest, the Gamecocks are the Rev’s only Power Five opponent this season and GW won 79-55 at home against South Carolina last winter, but the loss marks a tough blow to GW as they enter their final month of out-of-conference play.
Redshirt freshman forward Darren Buchanan Jr. led the Revs with 18 points and six rebounds on 54.5 percent shooting from the field. Senior guard James Bishop IV scored 14 points and freshman guard Trey Autry notched 13 points on 62.5 percent shooting from the field.
The Revs got off to a slow start, shooting at an 11.1 percent clip in the first five minutes as two 3-pointers from junior guard Meechie Johnson put the Gamecocks up 3-13. Buchanan responded with back-to-back buckets in the sixth minute to cut the deficit to 6, 7-13.
The teams continued to exchange blows throughout the first half, punctuated by a fast-break layup from Autry, which he followed with a 3-pointer assisted by Bishop to cut the Gamecock lead to 26-30 with about six minutes to go in the half.
After the burst, a missed 3-pointer from sophomore guard Maximus Edwards led to a 7-0 run for the Gamecocks, which staved off the comeback attempt. Edwards struggled all game, going 2-for-12 from the field for four points, well below his season average of 15.1.
With eight seconds left in the half, Gamecock forward B.J. Mack scored on a layup. Edwards tried to respond with an attempt at the buzzer but missed, leaving the Revs behind 32-42 at the end of the half.
In the first minute of the second half, Buchanan notched four points on a pair of free throws and a fast-break dunk to cut the score to 36-42. Edwards hit a mid-range jump shot off an assist by Buchanan in the third minute to keep GW within reach at 38-45.
After a jumper in the paint from Buchanan brought them within 6, the Gamecocks went on a 14-0 run, extending the South Carolina lead to 20 points at 45-65 with 9:16 remaining.
The Revs continued their comeback attempt, with Bishop sinking his third consecutive 3-pointer with seven minutes remaining. But the Gamecocks would not relent, hitting three 3-pointers of their own to maintain a 73-54 lead. South Carolina made 18 3-pointers on a 51.4 percent clip on the night, setting a new program record.
The game concluded with the score sitting at 67-89 as the Revs took home their second loss of the season.
The Revolutionaries will play their next six games at the Smith Center, where they remain undefeated, with hopes of getting back into the win column before conference play. GW tips off against Navy on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
