Gamecocks shoot lights out in 98-69 win over Auburn

Following the loss to Kentucky, the South Carolina Gamecocks showed up ready to play from the tip. A 9-0 start the game set the tone for the first half. With Duane Notice and Sindarius Thornwell on fire from deep, the Gamecocks carried a 21 point lead at the break. More of the same followed in the second half as Carolina cruised to a 29 point win over the Auburn Tigers.

After the Gamecocks jumped out to a 9-0 lead, Auburn came back into the game. It was 21-19 halfway through the first. That was when the Gamecocks began to pull away as a 27-8 run from that point put them up 48-27 at the break. Duane Notice was perfect from the floor with 15 points. Thornwell had 12 at the break and Chris Silva had 8 points on limited minutes because of foul trouble. The team as a whole shot 10-16 from three in the first half.

Silva started the second half strong with 8 of the first 12 points of the half for the Gamecocks. Carolina managed the game during the first ten minutes of the second half as Auburn never got back into the contest. Notice then caught fire again, sparking a 10-0 run to push the lead to 28 as Carolina cruised in the final ten minutes of the half.

Notice finished with 27 points, tying his career high. Carolina had four more players score double figures as Thornwell finished with 22, Silva with 16 and Justin McKie with 13 points. P.J. Dozier played limited time in his return from back spasms, scoring 2 points in 11 minutes. The team as a whole shot 15-25 from the three point line. Notice led the team, shooting 6-9 from three.

Bruce Pearl’s team was held under 70 points for only the third time this season. Anfernee McLemore led the way for Auburn with 18 points. The Tigers leading scorer on the season, Mustapha Heron, was held to 10 points.

Carolina moves to 15-4 on the year and 6-1 in SEC play. Next up for the Gamecocks is a trip west to take on the Missouri Tigers on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.