Meechie Johnson scores 24, South Carolina beats DePaul 73-68 at Arizona Tip-Off
AP
Nov 18, 2023
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Meechie Johnson scored 24 points Friday night and South Carolina Gamecocks never trailed in its 73-68 win over DePaul Blue Demons at the Arizona Tip-Off.
South Carolina (4-0) is off to its best start since the 2016-17 team, which lost 77-73 to Gonzaga in the Final Four, won its first eight games.
Johnson scored 12 points in a 20-6 run that gave the Gamecocks a 24-10 lead when he capped the spurt with a jumper and then a three-point play midway through the first half. South Carolina took a nine-point lead into intermission and stretched its lead to 58-44 when Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk made a layup with 12:18 to play. Elijah Fisher and K.T. Raimey each hit a 3-pointer as the Blue Demons scored 11 of 14 points to trim their deficit to six with 5 minutes to go and Da’Sean Nelson hit 1 of 2 free throws to make it 67-62 with 2:35 remaining. Johnson answered with two free throws 13 seconds and the Gamecocks, who shot just 59% (20 of 34) from the charity stripe, made 4 of 6 from the foul line from there to seal it.
Chico Carter Jr. - a native of Columbia and a graduate transfer from South Carolina - scored 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting for DePaul (1-3).
Zachary Davis added 10 points for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina plays Grand Canyon in the Cactus Division title game, and DePaul plays San Francisco in the third-place game, on Sunday.
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1st Half
DEP
Blue Demons
32
SCAR
Gamecocks
41
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
Stephen Clark vs. Da'Sean Nelson (Gamecocks gains possession)
19:37
+2
Meechie Johnson makes two point layup
0-2
19:26
Stephen Clark shooting foul (Jeremiah Oden draws the foul)
19:26
Jeremiah Oden misses regular free throw 1 of 2
19:26
+1
Jeremiah Oden makes regular free throw 2 of 2
1-2
19:05
+2
B.J. Mack makes two point jump shot (Ta'Lon Cooper assists)
1-4
18:32
+2
Chico Carter Jr. makes two point layup
3-4
18:32
Stephen Clark shooting foul (Chico Carter Jr. draws the foul)
18:32
+1
Chico Carter Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 1
4-4
18:21
Meechie Johnson misses two point layup
18:19
Da'Sean Nelson defensive rebound
18:15
Chico Carter Jr. misses three point jump shot
18:13
Gamecocks defensive rebound
17:57
Caleb Murphy personal foul (Stephen Clark draws the foul)
17:55
Myles Stute misses two point jump shot
17:53
Ta'Lon Cooper offensive rebound
17:44
+3
Myles Stute makes three point jump shot (Stephen Clark assists)
4-7
17:33
Da'Sean Nelson misses three point jump shot
17:31
B.J. Mack defensive rebound
17:23
Myles Stute misses three point jump shot
17:23
Gamecocks offensive rebound
17:23
Da'Sean Nelson personal foul (Stephen Clark draws the foul)
17:21
+2
Meechie Johnson makes two point layup (Ta'Lon Cooper assists)
4-9
17:01
+2
Da'Sean Nelson makes two point jump shot (Elijah Fisher assists)
6-9
17:01
B.J. Mack shooting foul (Da'Sean Nelson draws the foul)
17:01
Da'Sean Nelson misses regular free throw 1 of 1
17:01
Jacobi Wright defensive rebound
16:54
Meechie Johnson misses three point jump shot
16:52
Caleb Murphy defensive rebound
16:51
Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk personal foul (Caleb Murphy draws the foul)
16:39
Jaden Henley turnover (lost ball) (Meechie Johnson steals)
16:32
+3
Meechie Johnson makes three point jump shot (Jacobi Wright assists)
6-12
16:00
Churchill Abass turnover (out of bounds)
16:00
TV timeout
15:35
+2
Meechie Johnson makes two point jump shot
6-14
15:03
Da'Sean Nelson misses three point jump shot
15:01
Meechie Johnson defensive rebound
14:55
Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk turnover (lost ball)
14:41
+2
Jaden Henley makes two point layup
8-14
14:25
Ta'Lon Cooper misses two point layup
14:23
Ta'Lon Cooper offensive rebound
14:22
Ta'Lon Cooper turnover (traveling)
14:03
Jeremiah Oden misses two point layup
14:01
Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk defensive rebound
13:48
K.T. Raimey personal foul (Jacobi Wright draws the foul)
13:45
Jacobi Wright offensive foul
13:45
Jacobi Wright turnover (offensive foul)
13:34
Da'Sean Nelson misses two point jump shot
13:32
Myles Stute defensive rebound
13:21
B.J. Mack offensive foul
13:21
B.J. Mack turnover (offensive foul)
13:08
Da'Sean Nelson misses two point layup
13:06
Stephen Clark defensive rebound
13:06
Da'Sean Nelson personal foul (Stephen Clark draws the foul)
12:47
+3
Zachary Davis makes three point jump shot
8-17
12:29
Jeremiah Oden misses two point layup
12:27
Josh Gray defensive rebound
12:04
Churchill Abass shooting foul (Josh Gray draws the foul)
12:04
+1
Josh Gray makes regular free throw 1 of 2
8-18
12:04
+1
Josh Gray makes regular free throw 2 of 2
8-19
11:49
Jeremiah Oden misses two point jump shot
11:47
Zachary Davis defensive rebound
11:40
Zachary Davis turnover (traveling)
11:40
TV timeout
11:29
Stephen Clark blocks Churchill Abass's two point jump shot
11:27
Josh Gray defensive rebound
11:17
Churchill Abass shooting foul (Josh Gray draws the foul)
11:17
Josh Gray misses regular free throw 1 of 2
11:17
Josh Gray misses regular free throw 2 of 2
11:17
K.T. Raimey defensive rebound
11:00
+2
Caleb Murphy makes two point jump shot
10-19
10:40
+2
Meechie Johnson makes two point jump shot
10-21
10:17
K.T. Raimey misses three point jump shot
10:15
Josh Gray defensive rebound
10:03
+2
Meechie Johnson makes two point layup
10-23
10:03
Caleb Murphy shooting foul (Meechie Johnson draws the foul)
10:03
+1
Meechie Johnson makes regular free throw 1 of 1
10-24
9:49
Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk shooting foul (Chico Carter Jr. draws the foul)
9:49
Chico Carter Jr. misses regular free throw 1 of 2
9:49
+1
Chico Carter Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2
11-24
9:36
Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk turnover (bad pass) (Jeremiah Oden steals)
9:31
Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk personal foul (Caleb Murphy draws the foul)
9:31
+1
Caleb Murphy makes regular free throw 1 of 2
12-24
9:31
+1
Caleb Murphy makes regular free throw 2 of 2
13-24
9:07
+2
Myles Stute makes two point layup
13-26
8:51
+3
Chico Carter Jr. makes three point jump shot (Caleb Murphy assists)
16-26
8:50
Caleb Murphy technical foul
8:50
Meechie Johnson misses technical free throw 1 of 2
8:50
Meechie Johnson misses technical free throw 2 of 2
8:33
+2
Josh Gray makes two point dunk (Myles Stute assists)
16-28
8:14
Jeremiah Oden misses three point jump shot
8:12
Meechie Johnson defensive rebound
8:03
Jacobi Wright misses three point jump shot
8:01
Meechie Johnson offensive rebound
7:56
+2
Ta'Lon Cooper makes two point layup (Meechie Johnson assists)
16-30
7:56
Blue Demons 30 second timeout
7:56
TV timeout
7:33
Elijah Fisher misses two point layup
7:31
Chico Carter Jr. offensive rebound
7:31
Meechie Johnson personal foul (Da'Sean Nelson draws the foul)
7:31
+1
Chico Carter Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2
17-30
7:31
+1
Chico Carter Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2
18-30
7:17
Da'Sean Nelson personal foul (Josh Gray draws the foul)
7:17
+1
Josh Gray makes regular free throw 1 of 2
18-31
7:17
Josh Gray misses regular free throw 2 of 2
7:17
Churchill Abass defensive rebound
7:02
+3
K.T. Raimey makes three point jump shot (Churchill Abass assists)
