COLUMBIA, S.C.  — Meechie Johnson scored 17 points and South Carolina beat Stetson 82-51 on Saturday. Johnson made all five of his field-goal attempts, including two 3-pointers, and all five free throws while also handing out four assists. Grant Polk made 4 of 6 3-pointers and scored 12 points. Elijah Strong had a pair of 3s and 12 points for the Gamecocks (6-3), who shot 55%, including 44% from the arc (12 of 27). Collin Kuhl, Ethan Copeland and Jamie Phillips Jr. scored 10 points apiece for the Hatters (3-8), who lost their fifth straight after shooting 32% and making just 4 of 21 3-pointers. Stetson scored the first five points before South Carolina went on a 18-4 run capped by consecutive 3-pointers by Strong and the Gamecocks led the rest of the way. They finished the first half on an 18-3 run with Johnson scoring the final six points with a three-point play and a 3-pointer for a 43-24 lead. The Gamecocks remained comfortably ahead in the second half, taking their largest lead of 33 with under three minutes to go. KEY STATS The Gamecocks hit 12 3s against the Hatters to bust out of a shooting slump from behind the arc the last four games. The team shot 44.4% (12-of-27) from behind the arc, their highest percentage of the season. Seven different Gamecocks hit a 3-pointer today. Carolina’s 54.5% field goal percentage was its second-best mark of the season. The Gamecocks improve to 13-1 under head coach Lamont Paris when shooting 50.0% or higher from the floor. NOTABLES Redshirt senior guard Meechie Johnson led the way with 17 points, four rebounds and four assists. He shared the team-lead in +/- (+30) with graduate guard Myles Stute, who returned to action today after missing the last three games with a broken nose and concussion. Junior forward Elijah Strong continued his strong play off the bench with 12 points, three rebounds and an assist. It’s his fourth-straight game in double figures and sixth time scoring 10 or more this season. The freshman duo of Eli Ellis and Grant Polk combined for 21 points off the bench. Polk matched his career high in both points (12) and 3-pointers (4). Ellis tied Johnson for the team lead with four assists. Senior guard Mike Sharavjamts continues to be efficient across the board stuffing the stat sheet with nine points, a team-high seven rebounds, two assists and a block. Today’s victory was the first for Paris over Stetson in his nine seasons as a head coach. It also marked the Gamecocks’ first win over Stetson since 1983 at Carolina Coliseum. The 31-point margin of victory was South Carolina’s highest this season. UP NEXT South Carolina is off until next Saturday when it welcomes The Citadel (2-7) to Colonial Life Arena. Tip is set for 7 p.m. (ET) on SEC Network+ with Dave Weinstein (pxp) and former Gamecock Stephen Clark (analyst) on the call. Categories: Sports, USC Gamecocks ...read more read less