# SEC Men's Basketball: South Carolina Gamecocks Defeats Southeast Missouri State Redhawks 78-68 **Published:** 2026-11-08 — **By:** Stacy Stanfield **Category:** games — **Type:** game-recap **Source:** https://secscouts.com/news/sec-men-s-basketball-south-carolina-gamecocks-defeats-southeast-missouri-state-redhawks-78-68 **Teams:** [South Carolina](https://secscouts.com/south-carolina/) **Players:** [Juan Fernandez](https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/5455519/juan-fernandez), [Marcus Johnson](https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/5142726/marcus-johnson), [Kory Mincy](https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/5175671/kory-mincy), [Jakub Necas](https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/5174582/jakub-necas) --- COLUMBIA, S.C. (11/07/2026) — Kory Mincy delivered the decisive blow when it mattered most, sparking a 13-0 second-half run that broke open a tightly contested game as the South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks 78-68 at Colonial Life Arena on Saturday night. The Gamecocks, who trailed at the break, used Mincy's explosive stretch to seize control and never look back, handing the Redhawks a 10-point defeat before 9,580 fans. ## How It Happened The opening 20 minutes were a back-and-forth battle with neither team able to separate. Southeast Missouri State's Fontaine Williams Jr. gave the Redhawks early momentum, connecting on a 25-foot three-pointer at 16:18 to put SEMO ahead 3-4, then following with a step-back jumper at 14:59 to push the advantage to 5-4. South Carolina responded. Aleksas Bieliauskas knocked down a 23-foot three with a Davion Hannah assist at 11:08 to push the Gamecocks ahead 13-10, but the Redhawks kept punching back. Landren Blocker threw down a dunk to make it 13-12, then drilled a step-back three at 6:54 to put SEMO ahead 20-17. Jakub Necas answered with a 25-foot three at the 5:00 mark to put South Carolina back in front 25-20. The lead continued to exchange hands in the final two minutes — Alonzo Clawson-Smith's turnaround jumper (assisted by Marqueas Bell) gave SEMO a 30-29 edge, Blocker added a pullup at 1:00 to make it 32-31 Redhawks, before Mincy's 9-foot step-back with 29 seconds remaining sent South Carolina into the locker room leading 33-32. The second half opened with SEMO regaining the edge. Bell's layup at 19:19 made it 34-33 Redhawks. But Camden Heide answered 15 seconds later with a Necas-assisted 25-foot three to put South Carolina back on top at 36-34 — and that's when the Gamecocks took control. ## Turning Point What began as a one-possession game quickly became a commanding lead. Following Heide's three that made it 36-34, South Carolina detonated with a 13-0 run that pushed the advantage to 46-36 and deflated the Redhawks' resilience. Mincy was the catalyst, drilling back-to-back 25-foot three-pointers at 17:42 and 16:39 to extend the lead to 44-34. The cushion grew from there, with Juan Fernandez punctuating the surge with a one-foot dunk at 10:03 that made it 54-43. Southeast Missouri State made a push late — Williams Jr. connected on a 26-foot three at 6:37 to trim the deficit to 59-55, and Drew Cooper's corner three at 4:45 (off a PJ Farmer assist) cut it to 66-58 — but South Carolina had too much margin to absorb the comeback attempt. Necas' 25-footer with Mincy assisting at 5:34 extended the lead back to 64-55, and Bell's dunk at the final buzzer set the conclusive margin at 78-68. ## Star of the Game Kory Mincy was the difference-maker for South Carolina. The guard finished with a game-high 19 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 2 assists, but his second-half burst — consecutive three-pointers that ignited the pivotal 13-0 run — broke Southeast Missouri State at the precise moment the game remained within reach. His performance moved South Carolina from a teetering two-point lead to commanding distance. Juan Fernandez added 18 points and 7 rebounds to provide South Carolina with an imposing interior presence, while Necas contributed 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists for a balanced effort across the box score. For the Redhawks, Williams Jr. led all scorers with 18 points and 5 rebounds. His three-point shooting — including three triples across both halves — kept Southeast Missouri State competitive throughout, but the Redhawks couldn't generate consistent stops during the Gamecocks' decisive second-half stretch. ## What It Means South Carolina opens the 2026 season with a home win, flashing the kind of multi-layered offense that can be difficult to contain. The Gamecocks shot 43% from three-point range on 11 makes while also dominating the glass 40-24 — a 16-rebound margin that created second-chance opportunities and limited SEMO's ability to sustain offensive possessions through mistakes. South Carolina's 15 turnovers are a correctable concern, but the Gamecocks showed they can weather early-game adversity and respond with extended scoring bursts. For Southeast Missouri State, the Redhawks demonstrated enough offensive punch to test a SEC opponent on the road, with Williams Jr. and Blocker combining for consistent production. Shooting 44% from the field kept the game close into the second half, but the rebounding deficit proved unmanageable against a South Carolina front line that controlled the interior throughout. --- *Original article: [SEC Men's Basketball: South Carolina Gamecocks Defeats Southeast Missouri State Redhawks 78-68](https://secscouts.com/news/sec-men-s-basketball-south-carolina-gamecocks-defeats-southeast-missouri-state-redhawks-78-68) — SEC Scouts*