South Carolina cruises past Lander behind Rakym Felder’s big night

There was no upset in the cards at Colonial Life Arena on Tuesday night. Behind a 20-point effort by Rakym Felder, South Carolina used a 53-point first half to coast to a 90-62 win over in-state Division 2 opponent Lander. The Gamecocks improved to 10-2 with the win in their second-to-last non-conference game of the season.

Carolina got off to a flying start against their foe tonight, opening up a 29-3 lead with 9:48 left in the first half. They ended the frame with a red-hot 62.5% mark from the field (7-11 from three) while holding the Bearcats to just five field goals and 16.7% from the floor. During the opening stanza, Felder was a perfect 4-4 from beyond the arc en route to a fifteen-point half. The Gamecocks let their foot off the gas pedal a little bit in the second half as Lander outscored them 46-37, but this one was never in danger of getting away from the home team as they dominated play.

PJ Dozier had a strong game as he finished with 15 points on 6-9 shooting, including 3-4 from three. Maik Kotsar recorded a double-double (10 points, 11 boards), while Chris Silva added 11 rebounds of his own to help the Gamecocks to a 45-33 edge on the glass. Carolina was able to shut the Bearcats down from deep as the visitors were held to just 5-23 from distance.

The Gamecocks wrap up non-league play on Friday night at Memphis. Tip time for that one is set for 9pm ET on ESPNU.