(Photo credit: Jeff Blake)

Aleksas Bieliauskas scored a career-high 23 points as South Carolina pulled away in the second half for a 79-62 nonconference victory over Gardner-Webb on Saturday afternoon in Columbia, S.C.

Marcus Johnson contributed 16 points and Juan Fernandez added 15 for the Gamecocks (4-0), who led by just two points at halftime. South Carolina shot 16-for-25 (64.0%) in the second half while holding Gardner-Webb to 8 of 28 (28.7%).

Gardner-Webb (1-3) was led by 12 points from Jackson Skipper off the bench, including 2-for-3 shooting from 3-point range. Brown and Mikhail Pocknett each added 10 points, with Pocknett pulling seven rebounds.

The Bulldogs pulled into a 37-37 tie on a Brown jumper with 18:54 to play, but South Carolina went on a 9-2 run capped by Johnson's 3-pointer with 15:22 to play.

Gardner-Webb stayed within 53-47 with 11:39 to play, but nine straight Gamecock points pushed the margin out of reach. Fernandez posted five points during that run, including a layup that put South Carolina ahead 62-47 with 8:04 to play. Gardner-Webb got no closer than 12 points from there.

Kory Mincy notched 11 points for the Gamecocks while Jakub Necas also contributed significantly with seven points, five rebounds, and a game-high five assists.

South Carolina's 58.3% overall shooting (28-for-48) was its best showing since Dec. 30, 2025, when the Gamecocks shot 60% while rolling Albany 96-67.

Gardner-Webb outrebounded South Carolina 32-23 and owned a 13-1 advantage in second-chance points, but it wasn't enough.

South Carolina led for good after Bieliauskas sank a 3-pointer at the 16:27 mark of the first half. The Wisconsin transfer scored 14 points in the first half and finished 8 of 11 from the field for the day.

South Carolina will host Elon on Wednesday in search of its first 5-0 start since 2023. Gardner-Webb hosts UNC-Greensboro on Wednesday.

--Field Level Media