Wake-up Call

COLUMBIA -- South Carolina's basketball team didn't get a punch in the mouth Monday night. But it did get an elbow to it.

A crushing screen midway through the first half on freshman Ramon Galloway was an illustration of what kind of evening the Gamecocks were in for against Georgia Southern.

The Eagles were physical in the first half before fading in the second, suffocated by South Carolina's half-court defense in a 90-66 victory inside Colonial Life Arena.

"We did not come out ready to play tonight," USC coach Darrin Horn said. "We knew it was going to be a test and a challenge, as a coaching staff. We obviously didn't get our players locked in on that."

That forearm to Galloway's jaw probably did.

"That's what you want," Horn said, repeatedly crediting GSU first-year coach Charlton Young. "If you want to be a good team, you have to respond to that. I thought our response was really good."

The Gamecocks (2-0) trailed by as many as seven in the early minutes before finally pulling even. Then they just blew past the Eagles (1-1), scoring 21 straight points to bookend halftime.

Dominique Archie led USC with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Horn said the fifth-year senior "carried" the team at times.

South Carolina scored the first 16 points of the second half, keeping Georgia Southern from scoring a point until a 3-pointer with 14:49 left.

"I knew it was a while," Horn said of the scoreless streak, which went back to the 1:38 mark of the first half -- more than 16 minutes.

Tough as the Eagles were, they hit 32.4 percent (23 of 71) of their shots.

The Gamecocks will need the effort from early in the second half -- and not the one from early in the first -- later this week.

They open play at the Charleston Classic on Thursday against Atlantic-10 opponent La Salle, in the last of four first-round games at Carolina First Arena.

"The field is tremendous," Horn said. "That's not a normal first-round opponent in a tournament like this."

Monday, 27 first-half fouls -- including 17 by the visitors -- slowed the pace of play. At one point, the Eagles fouled USC on seven of nine possessions. (There were 48 total fouls in 40 minutes of ball.)

The Gamecocks sped it up after the half, with junior post Mike Holmes scoring eight points in the 16-0 run. He had a pair of nice post-up fadeaways, a finish on an inbound pass and a transition leaner.

All-SEC Devan Downey, who you might presume had a hand in it, scored just two points in the breakaway. He finished with 14 points, six assists and five rebounds.

Freshman guard Lakeem Jackson got in rhythm as USC ran away, scoring five of nine points -- including his first field goal as a Gamecock -- in the run. He was held scoreless in the opener. Even with the sustained USC spurt, the Eagles wouldn't go away. They cut a lead that was once 23 points to 64-53 with 9:40 left.

But Archie and Brandis Raley (13 points) hit 3-pointers on consecutive trips down the floor to get the margin back up to 17 points. Georgia Southern didn't get within 14 after that.

One thing that kept the Gamecocks from pulling away for so long? They committed 24 turnovers, 12 in each half. Downey had seven.

"We've got a lot of work to do," Horn said. "Turning the ball over is one thing we need to work on."

Jackson remembered the first time he realized how rough the Eagles were playing.

"Yeah," he said, "when they threw me out of the air."

Georgia Southern intentionally fouled Jackson toward the end of the big run -- when it had fallen behind by 20.

3-Point Field Goals -- GSU 8-29 (Baskerville 1-1, Hanson 4-13, Powers 2-4, Rucker 0-2, Brannen 0-1, Drayton 1-8); USC 8-20 (Archie 3-3, Downey 1-4, Spinella 0-1, Raley-Ross 2-4, Galloway 1-4, Wilder 0-1, Baniulis 1-3). Steals -- GSU 12 (Powers 4); USC 7 (Downey 2, Raley-Ross 2). Blocks -- GSU 2 (Baskerville 1, Rucker 1); USC 12 (Muldrow 4). Turnovers -- GSU 21 (Powers 3, Johnson 3, Janiszewski 3, Drayton 3); USC 24 (Downey 7). Technicals -- None. A -- 10,212.

Reach Travis Haney at thaney@postandcourier.com and check out the South Carolina blog at www.postandcourier.com/blogs/gamecocks.