South Carolina MBB beats Boston College in SEC/ACC Challenge. Three observations

South Carolina delivered its most impressive performance of the season, crushing Boston College 73-51 Tuesday night in the SEC/ACC Challenge.

The Gamecocks (5-3) seized control early, racing to a 36-19 halftime lead. The Eagles struggled to find their rhythm offensively, stymied by USC’s relentless defense.

Boston College (6-3) managed just 29% shooting in the first half and never got closer than 15 points after the break.

USC head coach Lamont Paris had to be pleased with his team’s performance against Boston College. USC gave him three of his favorite things in the world: defense (11 forced turnovers), 3-point shooting (10-of-19) and ball movement (16 assists on 23 made shots).

“Our shot quality was really high,” Paris said in a postgame radio interview with 107.5 FM. “Whether it was stuff that we generated around the rim, the situations that we created in one on one situations or some wide open threes that we got, our quality of shot was phenomenal in the first half.

“I’m hopeful that our numbers continue can continue to be good as we generate those same quality shots.”

Sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles led the way for USC, notching a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Senior transfer Nick Pringle added 11 points and four rebounds.

The ACC has been one of the most successful conferences over the past decade, but the SEC is ranked as the best conference this season by KENPOM. The SEC/ACC Challenge pits the two conferences against one another across a two-day span. Either conference needs nine wins to earn bragging rights.

With Georgia’s win over Notre Dame and USC’s victory, the SEC has jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the challenge.

USC returns home to host East Carolina on Sunday.

Here are three observations from South Carolina’s win on Tuesday:

Defense + runs = wins

South Carolina’s defense sparked a decisive 14-2 run in the first half, holding Boston College scoreless for more than six minutes and without a field goal for even longer. The Eagles missed 10 straight shots during the stretch, finishing the half with seven turnovers.

This isn’t new for USC — defensive stretches have been their hallmark this season. The difference Tuesday was their ability to pair those stops with efficient scoring and maintaining control late. In the second half, the Gamecocks held BC to 0-of-6 shooting over a critical 4:30 stretch, ensuring there was no comeback.

“I’m really excited to see where (the team) can take us this year,” Paris said. “They got a very high ceiling. We got some things we got to shore up in order to get there. But we’ve shown signs in these last two games of really doing some of those things on a consistent basis that will allow us to hopefully come pretty close to whatever our ceiling is.”

Collin’s in control

Murray-Boyles was everywhere. The sophomore had a double-double by halftime, showcasing a motor that never seems to stop. Whether it was executing pick-and-rolls or slipping into open seams for easy dunks, he was the Gamecocks’ engine on offense.

What’s more, it looks natural for him. He looks comfortable in his role as the No. 1 option for South Carolina. If the Gamecocks want more nights like this, they’ll need to keep leaning on Murray-Boyles. When the offense runs through him, the team excels.

Gotta stop the bigs

Boston College’s big man, Clarence Venning, dominated early, scoring 10 of the Eagles’ first 15 points with an old-school style of play. He bullied USC in the post, using crafty moves to score inside. He had a couple plays down low where a quick, nifty move led to an easy score down low.

South Carolina’s struggles against skilled big men remain a concern as SEC play looms. Addressing its interior defense will be crucial to sustaining their recent success.

Next four games

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

• Dec. 14 vs. USC Upstate, 2 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

• Dec. 17 vs. Clemson, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)

• Dec. 22 vs. Radford, 2 p.m. (SEC Network)