Forward Justin Minaya made an emphatic return and the South Carolina Gamecocks used a big second half to pull away from North Alabama on Wednesday night, starting their season off on the right foot with a 77-55 victory.
Minaya, who played just five games last season before suffering a knee injury, showed out in a big way for South Carolina. The redshirt sophomore notched a double-double, scoring a team-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Rrdshirt junior guard Jair Bolden, a former George Washington transfer, was the only other Gamecock in double figures with 14 points, narrowly missing his own double-double with eight boards.