Thornwell, Gamecocks use defense to beat No. 18 Syracuse
NEW YORK - Sindarius Thornwell scored 16 points and South Carolina never trailed in its 64-50 victory over No. 18 Syracuse on Saturday in the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational at Barclays Center.
Thornwell shot 3-of-6 from the field and made 9-of-10 free throws. He also had six rebounds, five assists, three steals and was named the MVP of the Invitational.
Maik Kotsar also had 16 points for South Carolina (6-0), which shot 45 percent (23 of 51). PJ Dozier added 15 and 10 rebounds for the Gamecocks, who gave up 12 of the first 18 rebounds but finished with a 37-30 margin on the glass.
Tyler Lydon led the Orange (4-1) with a season-high 18 points. Andrew White III and Frank Howard added 10 points apiece.
It was the second time in three seasons South Carolina knocked off a top 25 team in Brooklyn. On Jan. 2, 2014, the Gamecocks had a 64-60 victory over No. 9 Iowa State.
The Gamecocks had enough offense and has continued getting wins with its lockdown defense. After holding No. 25 Michigan to 19.2 percent shooting Wednesday, South Carolina limited the Orange to 31.8 percent, had 12 steals and forced 17 turnovers.
Though South Carolina had some fans in the crowd, the game was played in front of a mostly pro-Syracuse crowd. Those fans tried to replicate the noise at the Carrier Dome by constantly being on their feet and counting down ''5,4,3,2,1'' to distract South Carolina into thinking the shot clock was winding down.
The noise only worked on a limited basis for Syracuse.
Lydon hit a 3-pointer with 17:05 remaining to get Syracuse within 40-32. While running back on defense, he clapped his hands emphatically imploring the orange-clad fans to make even more noise. Following a defensive stop, Lydon had another basket forcing South Carolina to call time out.
Two free throws by White cut the deficit to 47-43 with 11:39 remaining but the Orange had Howard miss four free throws and Lydon miss an open 3-pointer. The drought ended when White hit a 3-pointer to make it 51-46 with about 6 1/2 minutes left and the noise level from the Syracuse fans increased again.
Following White's 3-pointer, the Gamecocks gradually restored the double-digit lead they held late in the first half. South Carolina took a 57-47 lead on a basket by Kotsar with about 3 minutes left and finished off the win at the free throw line, much to the delight of its fans who chanted ''Gamecocks, Gamecocks''.
BIG PICTURE:
South Carolina: South Carolina's defense continued to hold teams to low shooting percentages and it could make the Gamecocks difficult to play against for other SEC teams. The Gamecocks have held teams under 40 percent in each of their six games.
Syracuse: Lydon can take over at times and did not disappoint for at least the two NBA scouts in attendance to watch him.
POLL IMPLICATIONS:
The Gamecocks were not one of 16 teams to receive any Top 25 votes last week. That should change after South Carolina remained unbeaten with wins over No. 25 Michigan and No. 18 Syracuse.
Syracuse will likely stay in the poll though it is unlikely the Orange will remain at No. 18. Out of the teams behind them in the poll, Baylor and Iowa State remained undefeated with tournament wins and likely will move ahead of the Orange in the next poll.
HONORING PEARL WASHINGTON:
Before the national anthem, there was a moment of silence of former Syracuse guard Dwayne ''Pearl'' Washington, who died of brain cancer on April 20. Syracuse is the midst of a 31-day campaign to honor Washington's memory. The campaign culminates Dec. 17 when Syracuse hosts former Big East rival Georgetown. Before his three seasons at Syracuse from 1983 to 1986, Washington attended Boys and Girls High School, which is located about 2 1/2 miles east of Barclays Center.
UP NEXT:
South Carolina hosts Vermont on Dec. 1.
Syracuse is at No. 16 Wisconsin on Tuesday in ACC/Big Ten Challenge.