ORANGEBURG, S.C. — South Carolina State started its men’s basketball season Monday night with a 94-55 home win over Morris College, a game the Bulldogs led for good less than seven minutes in.
Morris jumped ahead 9-5 before freshman forward Treven Raymon hit a three-pointer with 13:05 left in the first half to put SC State in front. The Bulldogs pulled away from there, led 49-28 at the break, won the second half 45-27 and stretched the margin to 41 points late.
Coach Erik Martin played deep into his bench, and 12 Bulldogs scored. Freshman point guard Christian Barnes was the top scorer with 12 points in 15 minutes, every one of them from beyond the arc, and he made 4 of his 7 shots overall. Jayden Pretty chipped in a 10-point, seven-rebound night. Teon Tindal and DeShaun Jackson Jr. each finished with nine, and Jackson also handed out six assists to lead the team. Christopher Parker pulled down nine rebounds and Andre Ngomabie blocked six shots.
The defense set the tone. SC State had 16 steals and forced 29 Morris turnovers, turning them into 40 points. The Bulldogs owned the glass 43-24, scored 30 second-chance points and put up 56 points in the paint. Reserves outscored the Morris bench 57-34.
SC State made 36 of its 80 field-goal tries for 45%, while Morris finished at 41.2%. Demetrius Brown led the Hornets with 12 points and Jayden Hosien added nine.
The Bulldogs go on the road Friday to face USC Upstate.
Section: More Irmo SC sports news
Irmo sports business profiles
Filed under: Irmo SC Sports News
