Presbyterian’s Fierce Showdown Against South Carolina: A Thrilling Finale

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Presbyterian Blue Hose (7-8) contended fiercely with the South Carolina Gamecocks (10-3) right to the final whistle, ultimately falling short with a score of 69-59.
 
Kory Mincy topped the scoring chart with 27 points. Kobe Stewart contributed 13 points to the Blue Hose’s overall performance.
 
HOW THE MATCH UNFOLDED
FIRST HALF – Mincy opened the scoring with a jumper just 20 seconds into the game. Presbyterian claimed seven of the first 10 points, establishing an early lead at 7-3 following a three-pointer from Stewart at the 16:52 mark. South Carolina responded by scoring 10 of the next 15 points, taking a 13-12 advantage at the 11:21 mark. Presbyterian countered with eight consecutive points, regaining the lead 20-13 after a layup from Kaleb Scott at the 8:30 point. Mincy, Stewart, and Jaylen Peterson added to the tally during this surge. A three-pointer from Stewart widened the gap to 25-16 with just over seven minutes remaining in the half. South Carolina then put together six straight points, narrowing PC’s lead to three. In response, the Blue Hose scored seven of the final nine points of the half, heading into halftime with a 32-24 lead.
  


SECOND HALF – Following a few free throws from Mincy a couple of minutes into the second half, the Blue Hose held a 36-26 advantage. South Carolina then netted 16 of the following 21 points, claiming a 42-41 lead with 11:14 on the clock. The Blue Hose regained the upper hand with five successive points from Mincy, including a driving layup and a three-pointer from the top of the arc, putting them ahead 46-42 with just over 10 minutes remaining. South Carolina responded by scoring six of the next eight points, leveling the game at 48 with 7:51 left. Stewart then made a shot in the lane, nudging the Blue Hose back in front at 50-48. However, South Carolina launched an 11-0 run, securing a lead they would not relinquish, with nine out of the 11 points coming from the free throw line.
 
IN-DEPTH STATS

• Mincy achieved his third 20-plus point game of the season, finishing with 27 points.
• Stewart notched his 11^th double-digit scoring game of the season with 13 points and also grabbed six rebounds during the match.

  
UPCOMING GAME
The Blue Hose will kick off Big South Conference play in the Templeton Center against the Longwood Lancers on Thursday, January 2 at 2 p.m.