With two early losses under its belt, South Carolina desperately needed a morale boost.

The Gamecocks got it in a narrow win over Mercer 84-72 at Colonial Life Arena on Thursday.

It didn’t come easy. The game was neck-and-neck from start to finish, with 12 lead changes and three ties. USC (3-2) clung to a slim lead for much of the night but needed an 11-2 run late to finally put Mercer (2-3) away.

“Happy to get the win – that’s for sure. I told the guys that when I got into the locker room that winning is never lost on me, so you got to find a way to make it happen,” USC head coach Lamont Paris said.

South Carolina senior Jamarii Thomas led all scorers with 19 points, knocking down four 3-pointers and snagging three steals. Senior Zach Davis scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed five rebounds, while sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles had 16 points, nine rebounds and two steals. Senior Jacobi Wright chipped in 11 points and five assists.

Next up, USC heads south to face Xavier in the Fort Myers Tipoff on Monday.

Here are three observations from South Carolina’s victory:

Playing bigger works

USC made its intentions known from the opening tip: pound the ball inside.

On the first possession, Murray-Boyles fed Nick Pringle in the post, who drew a foul. Moments later, Pringle muscled his way to a tough layup through contact. The theme continued throughout the first half, as USC ran four straight sets to attack the paint.

It was a smart strategy, echoing the approach that kept the Gamecocks competitive against Indiana. When Pringle asserted himself late in that game, it opened up more options in coach Lamont Paris’ offense. Against Mercer, it proved decisive.

Found the stroke

USC’s first-half offense looked like its best of the season, fueled by an improved performance from beyond the arc.

The Gamecocks shot 5-of-14 from deep in the first half and finished the game with a season high in 3-pointers made (12) in their second-most efficient outing (44.4%).

“I think it was high quality shots for the most part,” Paris said when asked what allowed the team to be more effective shooting. “It’s good to see we had a variety of guys that made some shots, that had been struggling to make threes. So hopefully that gets a couple of these guys going in the right direction.”

Thomas, previously 1-of-9 from 3-point-range on the year, exploded for four triples on just five attempts. The shooting stroke must’ve been contagious as Davis joined the party, hitting 2-of-5 after a frigid 1-of-11 start to his season.

Even Mercer caught the shooting bug, connecting on 12-of-26 from deep (46.2%) after entering the game shooting just 29%. Both teams seemed to rediscover their long-range touch in this one.

“They made some shots that guys don’t normally make,” Paris said. “But even still … give them credit for that. They got excited. They’re playing an SEC team.

“That’s the danger in these games. It gets close down the stretch. Take the jerseys off – it’s just 10 guys out there competing. So they did, they did a really good job of taking advantage of the moment.”

However, turnovers remain a lingering issue for the Gamecocks. USC committed more turnovers (6) than assists (4) in the first half, a trend that could prove costly against stronger opponents.

Defense wins games

If USC wants to build momentum this season, it’ll need to sharpen its defense.

The Gamecocks struggled to string together stops, allowing Mercer to knock down timely 3-pointers that stymied any attempt at a run. The Bears drained six 3-pointers in the first half alone, keeping the game close.

Paris said the team talks about defensive focuses and adjustments during timeouts, but those conversations don’t always translate to the court. He doesn’t want to compare, but one of the strengths of last year’s Gamecocks was their ability to do the little things on defense.

“Some of these things, I think with a super high level of concentration, are more reproducible,” Paris said. “It’s just taken us a little longer to consistently be able to do some of those things. Because of it, we end up giving up more points than what I think we should from based on our physical attributes.”

Rebounding was also a sore spot. USC surrendered five offensive boards in the first half, leading to five second-chance points. Mercer even won the first-half rebounding battle 18-17 — a troubling stat for a team aiming to assert itself inside.

USC escaped with the win, but defensive lapses and turnover issues remain areas to address as they prepare for a tougher test against Xavier.

Next four games

• Nov. 25 vs. Xavier – Fort Myers Tip-Off, 8:30 p.m. on FS1

• Nov. 27 vs. Michigan or Virginia Tech – Fort Myers Tip-Off, 6 or 8:30 p.m. on FS1

• Dec. 3 at Boston College, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)

• Dec. 7 vs. East Carolina, 2 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)