After dispatching Rutgers 78-68 and St. John’s 76-58 at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla., No. 3 South Carolina earned a heavyweight title bout with No. 6 Notre Dame on Sunday. Unfortunately for the Gamecocks, the familiar nemesis got the better of them again, and South Carolina’s 17-game winning streak stopped with a 92-85 Irish victory.
The Gamecocks got off to a good start, leading 28-18 after the first quarter. But foul trouble put point guard Ty Harris on the bench, and Notre Dame started to find its footing. Behind the strength of a 7-for-7 shooting stretch that added up to a 67% shooting performance in the second quarter, the Irish took a 41-38 lead into the locker room at halftime, and it was a lead they never relinquished.