COLUMBIA, S.C. (Interstat) — In a game defined by a dominant second-half surge, the South Carolina Gamecocks pulled away from the Charleston Southern Buccaneers for a 74-62 victory in a non-conference men’s basketball game Friday afternoon at a boisterous Colonial Life Arena.

A crowd of 9,789 watched as the Gamecocks, who led by just two points at halftime, used a 44-point second-half offensive explosion to improve their season record to 5-2. The Buccaneers, who kept the contest tight for the first 20 minutes, fell to 5-4.

The first half was a defensive struggle, with both teams trading missed shots and turnovers in the opening minutes. South Carolina’s Mike Sharavjamts, a 6-foot-9 guard from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, broke the seal with a driving layup for the game’s first points. The two teams remained within a few possessions of each other for the entire period, with Charleston Southern’ Brycen Blaine and South Carolina’s Nordin Kapic trading baskets. The Buccaneers took a narrow 28-30 lead into the locker room.

Any hopes of an upset were quickly extinguished after halftime. South Carolina came out with renewed energy, immediately extending its lead. The Gamecocks’ offense found its rhythm, methodically breaking down the Charleston Southern defense.

Sharavjamts was the engine for South Carolina, orchestrating the offense with a versatile stat line of 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists in 34 minutes of action. His playmaking created opportunities for his teammates to thrive.

The most significant beneficiary was Elijah Strong. The 6-foot-8 forward from Charlotte, North Carolina, was a force in the paint, scoring a team-high 22 points on efficient shooting, all in just 16 minutes off the bench. His interior scoring during the second-half run provided the separation the Gamecocks needed.

Charleston Southern was led by the standout performance of Brycen Blaine. The guard from Richmond, Virginia, poured in a game-high 23 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists, fighting to keep his team within striking distance throughout the contest. A’lahn Sumler provided additional scoring punch for the Buccaneers, finishing with 14 points.

While Blaine shined, South Carolina’s defensive pressure and depth ultimately proved too much. Kobe Knox added 15 points for the Gamecocks, and Kapic chipped in 11 points and 5 rebounds. For Charleston Southern, Jesse Hafemeister scored 10 points.

The Gamecocks’ victory was a tale of two halves, flipping a two-point halftime advantage into a comfortable double-digit win. South Carolina will look to build on this momentum when they host Virginia Tech on Tuesday. Charleston Southern, meanwhile, will aim to rebound on the road at Tennessee-Martin, also on Tuesday.