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.
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.
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.
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.
The Gamecocks return home to host Mercer on Thursday. The Hoosiers host UNC Greensboro on Thursday.
