After an outstanding debut performance for a well-seasoned new face, South Carolina looks to stay on a roll Sunday afternoon against Southeast Missouri State.
European import Juan Fernandez is less than two weeks shy of his 24th birthday, but he was a unique rookie in South Carolina’s opener. He scored 20 points on 9-for-13 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds in just 19 minutes of playing time as the Gamecocks rolled to an 81-55 victory over Stetson on Tuesday.
“Juan made a couple of really aggressive, strong moves,” Gamecocks coach Lamont Paris said. “It shows growth for a guy, even though he’s 23 years old, he’s getting better.”
South Carolina (1-0) benefitted from a balanced effort as four teammates joined Fernandez in double-figure scoring in the win. Camden Heide added 13 points, Jakub Necas and Davion Hannah each contributed 11 points and Aleksas Bieliauskas scoring another 10. Carolina shot 31-for-61 (50.8 percent) from the field.
“I’m really excited about how we got this thing started,” Paris said of the new season. “Excited about the ceiling that this team can achieve.”
SEMO (2-0) is off to a quick start and has shown balance in an 86-79 victory over Lipscomb on Monday and a 90-65 win over Webster two days later.
Five players are averaging double-figure scoring so far for the Redhawks. Fourth-year guard Marqueas Bell is contributing 13.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.
Bell notched 16 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the win over Webster.
Darrion Sutton and Landren Blocker each added 14 points, and Fontaine Williams Jr. tallied 10 points and seven assists. SEMO led just 42-37 at intermission but pulled away in the second half.
The Redhawks were picked by the media to finish second behind Tennessee State in the Ohio Valley Conference this season.
“I don’t think we have to be dependent on just one person,” head coach Brad Korn said of his squad. “There’s a lot of different ways that we can go.”