USC MEN'S BASKETBALL

Silva's 20 and 10 lifts USC past GWU

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UNCASVILLE, Conn. - South Carolina's Chris Silva came out of a shoulder harness that he'd been wearing since the preseason and came out of his shell against George Washington on Sunday.

Silva scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Gamecocks in the consolation game of the Air Force Reserve Tip-Off tournament.

USC head coach Frank Martin said Silva had been wearing the harness since hurting his left rotator cuff in a preseason scrimmage against Virginia Tech. The 6-foot-9-inch senior hadn't been in double digits since a 13-point effort against USC Upstate in the Gamecocks' opener.

"It was good to see him play like that," said Martin. "He played aggressive today. He played with confidence offensively and defensively and no surprise, he stayed out of foul trouble."

A.J. Lawson added 19 points and nine boards for the Gamecocks (3-2), who put the game away early against the winless Colonials (0-5).

South Carolina scored the first 18 points, capped by a 3-pointer from Tre Campbell less than 5 minutes into the game. He was 3-for-3 from behind the arc in first half.

A 3-pointer by Lawson seven minutes later pushed the lead to 40-6. The Gamecocks went into halftime up 56-18 and cruised after intermission, leading by as many as 42 points.

Silva said the team was pleased with how his team bounced back from Saturday's loss to Providence, a game which the Gamecocks led by as many as nine points in the second half.

"Our team is young," Silva said. "These games allow us to grow up and learn."

Terry Nolan Jr. led George Washington with 13 points. The Colonials shot 28 percent from the field, including just four baskets on 27 shots in the first half, when the game was decided.

"We're disappointed where we're at," said head coach Maurice Joseph. "There's no dancing around that. We're 0-for-5. We have to own that but we have to look at the things that got us to this point. We've got to get better."