South-Carolina
Gators Produce Resounding Win Over South Carolina, 81-60
Picture: Myreon Jones; Credit score: Zach Goodall
Fifth-year senior guard Myreon Jones shined to submit a close to triple-double as Florida rolled over SEC foe South Carolina, 81-60.
Jones, who’s proved to be a catalyst for Florida’s latest success, showcased his facilitation expertise in his third straight begin to kickstart the offense from its season-long struggles with eight assists and nil assists. His effectivity encompassed UF’s as a complete on Wednesday night.
He added 9 factors, together with an And-1 end off a dime from Colin Castleton, and a team-leading 10 rebounds in arguably his career-best outing donning orange and blue threads, catalyzing Florida’s success from begin to end.
Florida restricted a gradual begin that has plagued it in convention play for the second consecutive look.
After Castleton gained the tip, place to begin guard Kyle Lofton introduced the ball up the courtroom seeking to arrange within the half-court offense. Simulating a choose and roll on the high of the important thing, Lofton pressed into the Gamecocks’ protection earlier than presenting Castleton with a lob.
The Florida huge man snatched the ball out of the air and slammed it dwelling to make an early assertion.
That set the tone for the way Florida would take the sport to South Carolina within the first half, posting 34 factors on 45.2% capturing from the ground in 20 minutes.
That aggressive mindset carried all through the sport.
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On the finish of the primary half, Golden tapped into his analytical background as he hurried Lofton up the courtroom because the clock ticked beneath 50 seconds with intentions of getting a two-for-one scoring alternative. The fifth-year guard discovered a possibility for Jason Jitoboh on the within, who knocked down his shot try with 34.1 seconds remaining.
The Gators held agency on the defensive finish to regain possession with 4.6 seconds left within the half. Assistant Kevin Hovde drew up a play to get Jones sprinting downcourt with a transparent imaginative and prescient of the courtroom. He discovered Reeves on the left wing for a wide-open look from past the arc.
Whereas Reeves failed to attach, it confirmed their intent to maintain making use of stress.
That was evident as Florida shot at 48% from the sphere within the second half, hovering across the 47% clip on the sport. They continued to provide an onslaught of factors from inside and past the three-point line to outscore the Gamecocks 47 to 34 within the last 20 minutes.
Castleton (18), Reeves (15), Lofton, (10), Will Richard (10) and Riley Kugel (14) every eclipsed the double-digit factors marks.
Because of this, Todd Golden completes the sweep of wins in opposition to yr one head coaches within the SEC, sitting at 5-0 after the victory over Lamont Paris’ Gamecocks. Rematches with Georgia’s Mike White and LSU’s Matt McMahon will come on the finish of the common season.
The victory aligns with the momentum-building win Florida looked for as a tricky four-game stretch stares the unit within the face.
Florida heads to Manhattan, Kan., to tackle former wing Keyontae Johnson and the No. 5 Kansas State Wildcats of their subsequent contest on Saturday night time. The assembly is part of the longstanding Huge 12/SEC problem.
Keep tuned to All Gators for steady protection of Florida Gators soccer, basketball and recruiting. Comply with alongside on social media at @AllGatorsOnFN on Twitter and All Gators on FanNation-Sports activities Illustrated on Fb.
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South-Carolina
Is LSU baseball a worthy top-8 seed in the NCAA tourney? 5 takeaways from South Carolina series
The Tigers lost the series opener on a walk-off wild pitch on Thursday, 6-5, but bounced back with an 8-1 win on Friday and a 7-3 victory on Saturday.
Here are five takeaways from LSU’s seventh series victory in Southeastern Conference play.
Is LSU worthy of a top-eight seed in the NCAA Tournament?
The Tigers finished the regular season with a 42-13 overall record, a 19-11 record in SEC play and a tie for third place with Vanderbilt for the best record in the toughest conference in the sport.
LSU is also No. 8 in RPI after Saturday and No. 7 in KPI following Friday’s games — KPI is another results-based rating system used by the selection committee. It’s gone 20-11 against Quads 1 and 2, and has more wins than all but six teams against Quad 1.
Thursday’s loss to South Carolina may have affected the Tigers’ chances of being the No. 1 team in the country in next week’s polls. But the defeat hasn’t altered the fact that this team deserves to host a regional and super regional at Alex Box Stadium.
How much does the SEC Tournament matter for LSU’s NCAA tourney seeding hopes?
A win or two in Hoover as the No. 3 seed will only help the Tigers’ odds of earning a top-eight seed in the NCAA Tournament. But even if they lost to No. 6 Auburn, No. 11 Mississippi State or No. 14 Texas A&M on Friday, it’s still hard to imagine them not earning that coveted bid in the NCAA tourney.
Besides LSU’s strong metrics, the perception around the Tigers’ play throughout the second half of this season has been strong. They entered this week as the No. 1 team in the country according to every poll and have won four of their last five series in SEC play.
There’s a strong argument to be made that a team’s spot in the NCAA Tournament should be based on merit alone. But since the selection committee is made up of human beings and not robots, national perception and how well a program is playing lately play a big role in determining a team like LSU’s fate as a top-eight seed.
Jake Brown’s strong play against righties
The sophomore outfielder started just one game this weekend, but Brown mashed the ball when he got his opportunities to dig into the batter’s box against South Carolina.
The Louisiana native went 5 for 8 with a home run and two doubles against the Gamecocks. He came off the bench on Thursday and Friday — both nights where South Carolina started a left-hander on the mound — before going 3 for 5 at the plate on Saturday.
Like with junior Ethan Frey against left-handers, Brown has clearly found his stroke versus righties. Trying to find playing time between those two and senior Josh Pearson will be something to continue to monitor as LSU heads into the postseason.
Given Pearson’s playoff history and experience, the Tigers will need all three of them to contribute in June in order to get to Omaha.
Evaluating the weekend for LSU’s top pitchers
It wasn’t a perfect series for LSU’s top arms.
Sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson allowed just one earned run in 6⅔ innings, but freshman right-hander Casan Evans, junior right-hander Zac Cowan and junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson struggled to varying degrees throughout the weekend.
Cowan was hit hard for the third time in three weeks on Thursday, allowing three earned runs and four hits in 1⅔ innings. He also walked a batter and hit another before allowing the walk-off run to score on a wild pitch in the ninth inning.
LSU had a two-run lead in the eighth when he entered the game.
“I don’t know if they were mistake pitches or they put good swings on it,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said, “but you’ve got to give them credit.”
Evans and Eyanson didn’t scuffle nearly as much, but neither were at their sharpest against the Gamecocks.
Evans walked a batter and barely threw more than half of his 27 pitches for strikes on Friday, and Eyanson admitted on Saturday that he didn’t have his best stuff, eventhough he only gave up two earned runs.
Eyanson walked three batters and only had five strikeouts against the lowly Gamecocks.
“I was waiting for an outing like that to happen where I didn’t have my best stuff and just had to mentally grind,” Eyanson said.
The top of the order gets going
LSU’s attack is at its best when freshman Derek Curiel, junior Daniel Dickinson and junior Jared Jones are clicking on all cylinders. And that was on display this weekend, especially on Saturday.
It was a big weekend for Dickinson and Jones. Jones went 6 for 13 with three home runs, moving to third on LSU’s all-time homers list on Friday. Dickinson was 5 for 12 and blasted a homer on Thursday and Saturday.
Curiel, LSU’s leadoff hitter, joined the party on Saturday after going 0 for 8 with a walk through the first two games of the series. He bounced back with a 3 for 5 performance in the series finale.
“I just tuned some things up, made some adjustments mentally,” Curiel said, “and just locked back into my plan and just had fun.”
South-Carolina
South Carolina softball’s 6th-inning surge vs North Florida carries Gamecocks to regional final
COLUMBIA — South Carolina softball, the top seed of the Columbia Regional and the No. 8 national seed, defeated No. 3 seed North Florida 3-0 in the NCAA tournament, on May 17.
With the win, the Gamecocks (42-15) advance to the regional final on May 18 (1 p.m., ESPN2).
It was a pitchers’ duel through five innings, with the wind an additional factor at Carolina Softball Stadium. After missing a two-run home run by a foot in the fourth inning, senior Ella Chancey stepped up to the plate in the sixth with two outs. She doubled to right field then an error at the plate allowed Chloe Lackey to score the game’s first run.
Emma Sellers, with the bases loaded and still two outs, singled to bring home two more to make it 3-0.
The Osprey (46-14) had star pitcher Allison Benning battling veteran Sam Gress for the Gamecocks. Gress allowed six hits, zero runs and threw four strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Jori Heard relieved Gress, following up her May 16 performance with another quality game. Heard allowed no hits and no runs in 2.1 innings.
South Carolina softball live score vs North Florida
The Gamecocks score the game’s first runs in the top of the sixth. North Florida had no hits and no runs to close the sixth, giving South Carolina a three-run lead heading into the top of the seventh.
South Carolina leaves two on in the fifth.
Ella Chancey was just a foot away from a two-run home run. North Florida leaves one on and it’s still 0-0 heading into the fifth.
Emily Vinson makes a diving catch for South Carolina to get the first out of the inning, then North Florida leaves two on.
Gamecocks go three up three down. The Ospreys’ runner gets called for leaving early, ending the inning.
Arianna Rodi with a two out single but South Carolina didn’t get anything more. The Ospreys load the bases but leave three on.
What time does South Carolina softball vs. North Florida start?
- Date: May 17
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field in Columbia, South Carolina
What TV channel is South Carolina softball vs. North Florida on today?
- TV: N/A
- Streaming: ESPN+ on the ESPN app
South Carolina softball starting pitcher
Sam Gress is starting for the Gamecocks. She has a 3.12 ERA, 12 wins and 94 strikeouts.
North Florida softball starting pitcher
Allison Benning, North Florida’s star is starting. She has a 1.49 ERA, 25 wins and 174 strikeouts.
NCAA softball schedule
Here is the latest college softball schedule and NCAA Tournament bracket update.
NCAA Tournament Columbia Regional softball schedule
May 17
Game 3: North Florida vs South Carolina, 1 p.m., ESPN+
Game 4: Virginia vs. Elon, 3:30 p.m., TV TBD
Game 5: loser of G3 vs. winner of G4, 6 p.m., TV TBD
May 18
Game 6: winner of G3 vs. winner of G5, 1 p.m., ESPN2.
Game 7: winner of C6 vs. loser of G6 (if necessary), 3:30 p.m.
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Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
South-Carolina
SC leaders applaud Qatar deal for Boeing jets, question raised about $400M gifted plane
South Carolina leaders reacted to President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Qatar — where he finalized a deal to sell American jets to Qatar’s fleet and was offered a $400 million jet as a gift from the prime minister.
Trump returned to the United States on May 16 after a four-day visit to Middle Eastern countries. Part of the tour included a stop in Qatar, where Trump signed an agreement to create an economic exchange worth $1.2 trillion, according to the White House.
That agreement included a $96 billion agreement to sell hundreds of Boeing jets to Qatar Airways. Boeing will produce 210 777X and 787 Dreamliner jets, which are built in South Carolina, to join Qatar Airways’ fleet.
The White House issued a statement on the sale that claims the agreement is Boeing’s “largest-ever widebody order and largest-ever 787 order.”
Boeing built its first South Carolina 787 Dreamliner in April 2012. The North Charleston manufacturing facility became the only producer of the Dreamliner in the United States in 2021, when the company moved production from its Everett, Washington, facility.
Republican U.S. Rep. William Timmons (SC-4th District) said that trade negotiations between the U.S. and foreign nations are going well — and while there are a lot of difficult changes underway, those factors create a “perfect storm” that strengthens the U.S. economy.
“It’s just exciting,” Timmons said. “All the ingredients are getting right in the next few months.”
Boeing Commercial Airplane President Stephanie Pope said the company is honored that Qatar Airways has placed the record-breaking order.
“Our team is looking forward to building 787s and 777s for Qatar Airways into the next decade as they connect more people and businesses around the world with unmatched efficiency and comfort,” Pope said.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster addressed the deal on May 15 while he met with state leaders on storm preparedness for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season.
“We’ve done a lot of business with Qatar,” McMaster said. “The work that he’s (Trump’s) done over there is just remarkable.”
Trump faced criticism from key Republican and Democratic lawmakers earlier this week when he posted on Truth Social that the Department of Defense was offered a Boeing 747 as a gift from Qatari leaders.
“The fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40-year-old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats,” the president said.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was among critics of the president’s potential acceptance of the jet. She also posted about the matter on social media and said that accepting gifts from foreign nations is never a good practice.
“Regardless of how beautiful the plane may be, it opens a door and implies the President and US can be bought,” Haley said. “If this were Biden, we would be furious.
Reporter Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@gannett.com.
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