South Carolina scores exhibition win over Erskine

South Carolina dominated from start to finish in an 85-44 exhibition win over Erskine on Monday.

Junior forward Chris Silva led the way with 15 points and nine rebounds on the evening, while freshman Justin Minaya pitched in 13.

Two other South Carolina players scored in double figures, with Frank Booker adding 11, and Hassani Gravett scoring 10 on the night.

The Gamecocks outrebounded Erskine by 24 and forced 19 turnovers.

Frank Martin’s squad will host Virginia Tech on November 5 in a hurricane relief exhibition.

Lovell’s Analysis

We all know by now that Martin instills a unique toughness and defensive attitude on his teams, and that carries over into any game that the Gamecocks play throughout the year.

So, rarely does an exhibition game against South Carolina feel like an exhibition game, and Erskine found that out the hard way.

Again, there’s only so much we can take from this, but the performances by newcomers Minaya and Booker are a good sign.

Minaya gives this team more size alongside Silva and Maik Kotsar, and Booker’s experience should help in a South Carolina backcourt that is missing four key guards from last year’s team.

Sunday’s matchup against Virginia Tech should tell us more about the progression of all these players as we get closer to the start of the regular season.