COLUMBIA, SC -- The Drexel Dragons (1-7) expectedly returned to losing Tuesday night, falling by a score of 79-54 to undefeated No. 25 South Carolina (9-0). The Gamecocks are one of just eight undefeated Division-I teams remaining.

How It Went Down

South Carolina saw freshman guard PJ Dozier lead the way in the victory, as Dozier set a career high in scoring with 16 points. He shot 10-16 from the line and also racked up four rebounds and three assists.

"This was a confidence boost for sure," Dozier said. "I knew I could contribute points-wise but I just want to continue to play the way that got us here." [Associated Press]

After Drexel stuck around to hold the Gamecocks to a four-point lead at halftime, SC went on an 18-3 run that featured 11 unanswered points at the start of the second. The last lead the Dragons held the entire game was with just six minutes left in the first half.

The Stats

Drexel's Tavon Allen led all scorers with 18 points, but shot just 2-9 in the second half, additionally missing three of his five free throw attempts of the half. He also turned the ball over five times in his 38 minutes on the floor. Sammy Mojica added a solid 13 points in 34 minutes coming off the bench.

The Gamecocks, led by Dozier's 16, also saw Sindarius Thornwell score 13 and drop five dimes. Michael Carrera had an additional 10 points and two blocks with Chris Silva adding nine points, seven rebounds, two blocks, and two steals off the bench.

South Carolina has now started the 2015-16 season with a 9-0 record, the first time in school history that mark has been achieved since the 1970-71 campaign.  "We're not really caught up on all that," Thornwell, a junior guard, said. "We're just focused on the next game." [Associated Press]

"I told them to feel good about that because there's a lot of players that played here in the last 44 years that haven't been able to accomplish what you guys have," remarked coach Frank Martin. [Associated Press]

A glorious way to achieve that ninth win it was, as the Gamecocks dominated in nearly every department. SC outshout Drexel, who had a woeful shooting night, 54.3 percent to a mere 34.5 percent. The team, behind Dozier, also more-than-doubled the Dragons' total free throw attempts, going 23-39 from the line while their opponents shot just 9-19.

Drexel also saw themselves far behind in the paint, surrendering a 41-22 under the boards as well as having nine shots rejected by South Carolina players. The Dragons did turn the ball over 13 times, two less than the Gamecocks' 15 giveaways.

What's Next

Next up for Drexel is a two-game slate at home against favored in-state opponents, first Saturday night against 7-3 Penn State and then again Tuesday night against campus-mates Penn. While the chances of defeating the higher-scale Nittany Lions may be low, a win over the 4-5 Quakers could go ways in the department of confidence boosting.

South Carolina faces Clemson on Friday. The Tigers currently sit at 7-3. "The only thing that matters is the game on Friday," said Thornwell. [Associated Press]