Gamecocks Cruise to a 99-63 Victory Over Guilford College
Columbia, S.C. (11-5-07) -- The University of South Carolina cruised past Guilford College on Mon., Nov. 5 at the Colonial Center, 99-63. The Gamecocks were led by South Carolina native Devan Downey (Chester) who paced the way with 27 points and seven steals. The Quakers were led by senior Ben Stong who also netted 27 points and had a game-high 15 rebounds.
Freshman Mike Holmes showed Gamecock fans why he was Mr. Basketball in South Carolina in 2007 (high school) when he scored a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. He also added three blocks and two steals.
Dwayne Day scored 11 of his 20 points in the first half which included 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Carolina shot 47.6% from the field in the first half to take a 52-36 lead into the locker room.
Carolina finished the game with four players in double figures including transfer Zam Frederick who tallied 10 points. Also scoring for Carolina was, Brandis Raley-Ross with eight, Sam Muldrow recorded six, Evaldas Baniulis scoring three, Austin Steed tallied four, and Dominique Archie chipped in two.
Guilford opens its regular season, November 17, hosting Villa Julie in the Ragan-Brown Field House. The Gamecocks return to action to face South Carolina State on Fri., Nov. 9 at 8:00pm in the 2007-08 season opener.
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South Carolina Coach Dave Odom quotes
"It was a typical first game I thought. I thought we did some really good things, and I thought we did some things that have got to be improved quickly. I thought we played in spurts, which did not surprise me. When you play [the style being implemented this season], the even flow won't be there."
"The guys who played the hardest played the best."
"Devan [Downey] gave the fans a taste of what we see everyday in practice. I thought he was outstanding. I look at Mike Holmes and he was a workhorse inside."
"It was a good night for us. I appreciate the crowd that came. I appreciate Guilford College sharing the night with us. It was a real thrill for me to have [Odom's alma mater] Guilford in, and a real thrill for me to see them play well."
"[Guilford center Ben Strong] is an excellent player. He has a great touch and a great feel for the game. He will be a handful in [the Old Dominion Athletic Conference]. He was a handful tonight and more."
Guilford Head Coach: Tom Palombo
"It was a great opportunity for us to play an SEC team. It was really tough for us to score points, but we still did a pretty good job."
"We are just taking each game one day at a time. They showed us some things that we can get better at, and I hope we did some things to help South Carolina as well."
-Story and quotes courtesy of University of South Carolina Sports Information.