BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Myles Rice scored 17 of his 23 points in the first half and No. 16 Indiana defeated South Carolina 87-71 on Saturday.
Rice, a Washington State transfer, hit 7 of 10 shots including 3 of 4 from 3-point range and all six foul shots. The Hoosiers (3-0) were never seriously threatened in the second half, their smallest lead being eight points with 1:19 remaining.
Mackenzie Mgbako added 17 for Indiana.
Morris Ugusuk led the Gamecocks (2-2) with 18 points, including four 3-pointers.
Takeaways
South Carolina: The Gamecocks relied too much on 3-point shooting to try to make up for a subpar shooting effort. They finished 8 of 29. And the visitors didn't defend the 3 well as Indiana made 8 of 17. The Gamecocks weren't strong enough to overcome the lack of an inside scoring presence usually provided by leading scorer Collin Murray-Bowles, who had one basket in 19 minutes before fouling out.
Indiana: Rice's hot first half was instrumental in establishing a double-digit lead. The Hoosiers' backcourt of Rice and Kanaan Carlyle, which averaged a combined 11 points in the first two games, had a breakout game as Carlyle added 12 points. The Hoosiers rely heavily on other scorers, so a productive backcourt makes them significantly stronger.
Key moment
Rice hit shots on back-to-back possessions, including a 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining in the first half, as Indiana opened up a 43-32 lead at the break.
Key stat
Murray-Bowles, who entered with a team-high 20.3 average, scored just two points before sitting eight minutes into the first half with two fouls. He sat again when assessed his fourth foul with 15:34 remaining and fouled out with 8:16 remaining.
Up next
The Gamecocks return home to host Mercer on Thursday. The Hoosiers host UNC Greensboro on Thursday.
No. 16 Indiana 87, South Carolina 71
SOUTH CAROLINA (2-2) — Murray-Boyles 1-4 0-0 2, Pringle 4-5 5-7 13, Stute 4-14 0-0 11, Thomas 5-14 2-4 13, Wright 2-11 2-4 6, Ugusuk 5-8 4-6 18, Davis 3-4 2-2 8, Scott 0-2 0-0 0, Bosmans-Verdonk 0-1 0-0 0, Butler 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 24-63 15-23 71.
INDIANA (3-0) — Mgbako 5-8 6-7 17, Reneau 4-10 4-5 13, Ballo 1-2 5-9 7, Carlyle 5-9 0-0 12, Rice 7-10 6-6 23, Galloway 2-4 6-6 11, Tucker 2-5 0-0 4, Goode 0-3 0-0 0. Totals: 26-51 27-33 87.
Halftime—Indiana 43-32. 3-Point Goals—South Carolina 8-29 (Ugusuk 4-6, Stute 3-11, Thomas 1-5, Davis 0-1, Murray-Boyles 0-1, Scott 0-2, Wright 0-3), Indiana 8-17 (Rice 3-4, Carlyle 2-5, Galloway 1-1, Mgbako 1-2, Reneau 1-2, Goode 0-3). Fouled Out—Murray-Boyles. Rebounds—South Carolina 30 (Pringle 11), Indiana 34 (Ballo 13). Assists—South Carolina 12 (Thomas 4), Indiana 12 (Rice 3). Total Fouls—South Carolina 23, Indiana 21. A—17,222 (17,222).
