Cowboys Take Advantage of Gamecocks’ Problems

Oklahoma State must have done its homework.

The Cowboys took advantage of problems that have plagued South Carolina all season, most notably the Gamecocks’ inability to defend without fouling.

OSU made plenty of trips to the charity stripe to help salt away a 74-70 win from Gallagher-Iba Arena in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

Junior captain Cam McGriff led the Cowboys, which shot 29 free throws, both in trips to the line with 7 and made free throws with 6.

USC came into the game giving up more than 27 trips to the line per game in the last six and coach Mike Boynton said his team took advantage of what he called a foul-prone defense.

“It’s very aggressive,” Boynton said. “There’s always an idea that you can take the other team out so we just tried to take advantage of their aggression by maybe driving the ball a little bit more.”

USC coach Frank Martin said he team played badly because they practiced badly leading up to the game. He said his team was not mentally engaged, which was evident by committing bad fouls.

“You run out and you hand-check the guy at the half-court line for no reason,” Martin said. “We just kept putting them on the line with irrelevant fouls at 50 feet from the basket. Those are bad basketball plays.

“Those are plays a that team that’s not mentally engaged commits.”

McGriff also made the highlight play of an 8-0 second half run to regain a 7-point OSU lead. He had an emphatic dunk and drew a foul to get the home crowd on its feet.

Freshman Isaac Likekele sparked the run with consecutive possessions in which he stole the ball and assisted baskets, one being the McGriff dunk. Likekele finished with 6 assists and just 2 turnovers.

USC came into the game with the 214th ranked scoring defense, for opponents averaged nearly 73 points. It is even worse defending the 3-point line.

The Cowboys’ Thomas Dziagwa and Lindy Waters, III took advantage of that; the captain duo shot 50 percent from 3 and combined for 36 points.

“I love shooting,” Waters said. “Obviously, you can see me and Thomas: splash brothers.”

Waters, on perhaps the play of the game, went down the lane and got a floater to bounce around the rim and in with just 19 seconds left. He then iced the game with 2 more from the line.

Waters said he was trying to drive on the second-last possession in an attempt to possibly get fouled.

“[I wanted to] at least try to get [the shot] up on the rim, and then make or miss just get back and try to get a stop,” Waters said.

Martin said his team played what he calls the “wish defense,” which meant his team did not defend Waters and just hoped his shots did not go in.
USC’s coach followed that with his knowledge of Waters’ great work ethic.
“That man has a work ethic that is second-to-none, he ain’t missing shots,” Martin said. “If you let him shoot it, he ain’t missing shots and our guys played the ‘I wish’ defense.”

Dziagwa had 19 which tied a career high he had against Oklahoma last season.

OSU was able to survive a 17-5 USC run that spanned both halves, which brought the Gamecocks back from a Cowboy lead of 12 at its highest.

The Cowboys continued to shuffle both the lineup and defenses in an attempt to minimize fouls and fatigue. Numerous times, OSU relied on 2-3 and 1-3-1 zones in addition to man.

Boynton said he thinks his team has given him the confidence to be able to run so many different defensive sets.

“The level of trust that I have in them to be able to execute different things, a lot of times on the fly, at this point it’s not like you have a lot of time to prepare,” Boynton said. “Credit to our vets, who are setting the tone. They led us no doubt.”

Freshman Yor Anei played a significant role defensively, for he had 3 blocks while only committing 3 fouls; he also pulled down 11 rebounds. 

Boynton said he has seen steady improvements for both Likekele and Anei throughout the season.

“Those guys are growing up right before our eyes and it bodes well for our future,” Boynton said. 

Waters recalled a conversation Dziagwa had with Anei in a practice leading up to the game. He said Dziagwa told Anei the freshman would have to play more physically against USC.

“All Yor said was, ‘You’re going to see a different beast tomorrow,’ and [Yor] just walked off,” Waters said. “He came in, he proved it and we just gotta keep it going.”

OSU’s lineup rotations included one rarely, if at all, used this season. Boynton had Dziagwa and walk-on Luke Major along with freshmen Likekele, Anei and Duncan Demuth. 

Despite the youth and inexperience, the Gamecocks were only able to score 3 points while Waters and McGriff got important minutes on the bench.

Boynton said he was trying to keep McGriff in a rhythm while keeping him out of foul trouble late in the first half.