FINAL SCORE: No. 20 South Carolina 68, Vermont 50
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Vermont came into Thursday night in search of its first-ever win over a Southeastern Conference (SEC) foe but could not pull off the upset over 20th-ranked South Carolina. The Catamounts fell on the road to the Gamecocks 68-50 in non-conference action.  
 
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Vermont drops to 6-3 on the season while No. 20 South Carolina stays unbeaten at 6-0.
 
UVM shot 40.7% (11-for-27) in the first half and nearly matched the USC in rebounding for the night, 36-30, but South Carolina used 48 points in the paint to its advantage to seal the victory.
 
The Catamounts were led by Anthony Lamb and his team-high 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting. The freshman grabbed three rebounds off the glass and recorded a steal. Dre Wills followed with eight points, five rebounds, and made 4-of-5 free throw attempts. Payton Henson posted a game-high eight boards, including four on the offensive glass.
 
South Carolina had four players reach double figures as PJ Dozier tallied a game-high 21 points. Dozier added six rebounds, three steals, and posted an assist. Maik Kotsar shot 7-of-10 from the floor for 14 points. Chris Silva contributed 12 points while Sindarious Thornwell charted 11 points.
 
In the first half, Vermont held South Carolina's lead to only a two-possession game through the opening 10 minutes, but the Gamecocks built an eight-point lead after Dozier banked in a layup off the window at 6:18. The Cats cut the deficit to only three points after Trae Bell-Haynes hit a free throw, but the Gamecocks produced a 19-11 run over the final five minutes of the half and took a 43-32 lead into the locker room.
 
UVM's defense held USC to only 35.3% (12-for-34) shooting in the second half, but the Gamecocks held the green and gold to only a pair of field field goals through the first eight minutes of the final period to prevent the Cats from mounting any sort of comeback. 
 
Vermont returns home for a three-game home stand, starting with Dartmouth on Wednesday (Dec. 7) at 7 p.m. Single game tickets can be purchased at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or at the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday. All UVM men's basketball games can be heard on ESPN 101.3 FM and online at 1013ESPN.com with Sam Hyman on the call. The game can be seen live for free in HD via AmericaEast.TV.