COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Sindarius Thornwell scored 22 points and South Carolina cruised to a 92-50 victory over South Carolina State on Friday night.Playing their fourth game in eight days, the Gamecocks (4-0) took control of the game early against their neighbors from nearby Orangeburg.It was good to see us playing active on the glass, at the rim, said USC coach Frank Martin. That was one thing I had been a little disappointed in with our team after the first three games. I didnt think we were rebounding the ball any where near as good as we needed to on either side of the floor.The Gamecocks held a 47-24 rebounding advantage with forwards Maik Kotsar and Chris Silva combining for 15 rebounds.The Bulldogs (1-2) attempted to press South Carolina early. The tactic didnt work, however, as the Gamecocks out-muscled their opponents inside while also making long-range jumpers.Kotsar got the Gamecocks off to a quick start, scoring eight of his 15 points in the first 10 minutes. After that Thornwell, a preseason first team All-SEC pick, took over. He had 16 in the first half.USCs lead consistently increased. It took a 50-25 advantage at halftime and didnt let up when it returned.The Gamecocks connected on 33 of their 65 shots (51 percent), while limiting South Carolina State to 16 of 52 (31 percent).South Carolinas pressure defense proved a bit too much for the Bulldogs.We pressured them, made them, made them try to score from half-court, said Thornwell. We didnt let them get into what they wanted to run. Its hard when you have to score from half-court rather than the 3-point line. Its better for our defense because it forced them into bad shots.Eric Eaves, a Columbia native, led South Carolina State in scoring with 16.The Gamecocks ability to push South Carolina State out of its comfort zone, offensively, was expected by Bulldogs coach Murray Garvin.The main stat that jumps out to me is the 30 second chance points, said Garvin. South Carolina had more offensive rebounds, it was 17 to 8 on the offensive glass. I really thought the second chance points, also the points off turnovers, was the difference in the game.BIG PICTURESouth Carolina State: The Bulldogs never got on track, mostly due to inconsistent shooting. They connected on just 16 of 52 of their field goal attempts (31 percent).South Carolina: With most of their experience in the backcourt, the Gamecocks continued to work on improving their inside play. Kotsar was impressive, making all seven of his shots and grabbing eight rebounds with two blocks. Silva, despite picking up two early fouls, scored 11 points and pulled down seven rebounds.The game is not perfect, Martin said. You make mistakes. What you cant do is, when you make a mistake, give up on a play. I thought we were a lot more active today on the glass, defensively.STILL SEARCHINGSouth Carolina State has to find a way to get better shots for Eaves, its leading scorer. Although he led the Bulldogs, USC made it difficult. He was also the only regular that hit more than 50 percent if his shots.We told out basketball team thats what we expect this year, especially against the high major opponents, Garvin said. Theyre bigger, stronger, faster. Ive got a lot of new guys in our program and this is the second time theyve played against this kind of athleticism.South Carolina, to me, is one of the better defensive teams weve faced. It wasnt anything that surprised us. We just couldnt do anything about it.UP NEXTSouth Carolina State returns to action Tuesday when it travels north to take on Syracuse in another encounter that is part of the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational.South Carolina hosts Michigan on Wednesday.Jerseys NFL Cheap . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. Wholesale Jerseys . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. http://www.jerseysnflchina.net/ . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book. Clearance NFL Jerseys . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. Cheap Jerseys China . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak.Misbah-ul-Haq has admitted it was a worrying moment to see his star spinner, Yasir Shah, poleaxed in the nets when he took a blow on the shoulder on Wednesday.Yasir was sent for a precautionary scan but Misbah said he would be okay for a match where he is expected to have another significant impact on a ground with a history of helping spinners.He is the fulcrum of Pakistans attack, allowing them to operate with four frontline bowlers. The one Test he has missed since his debut was against England in Abu Dhabi last year, after he suffered a back spasm. England were able to score 598 for 9 and almost stole a victory on the final day. Yasir may not have made a major difference on what was a dead pitch for four days and two sessions, but Pakistans attack was far less daunting without him.Since Yasir returned, Pakistan have won three consecutive Tests against England - at Dubai, Sharjah and Lords - during which he has taken 25 wickets.Seven of the last 12 five-wicket hauls in Tests at Old Trafford have been taken by spinners and although that period overlaps the rotation of the square the surface has retained his characteristics of offering bounce and turn.However, even buoyed by their success at Lords, Misbah was eager to stress how the players start with a blank sheet of paper in this match, despite Yasir riding on the crest of a wave following his 10-wicket haul which propelled him to No. 1 in the world.It doesnt matter which ground we play on, Misbah said. If a bowler is really good he can produce results anywhere. He bowled beautifully at Lords but everyone will need to bowl well again, not just Yasir. All four need to step up.How England respond to the challenge posed by Yasir has been a recurring theme and their performance at Lords, especially in the first innings when they were well placed to compete with Pakistans 339, revived memories of collapses inspired by Shane Warne, which came more from within the mind of the batsmen than the actual threat posed by the surface.But saying that Misbah is outwardly calm is an understatement so it was hardly surprising that he was not shouting from the rooftops about a repeat performance in Manchester and instead was preparing for a better showing from Englands batsmenIts all about how you apply yourself, overcome mistakes of previous Test. Every game is new, wicket different, you have to adjust and that could sometimes be a challenge when youre a little bit down and short on confidence, but international playerrs can do that.ddddddddddddWe have to be ready for that. If they play Yasir well we should have other plans. While there are many reasons for Pakistan to be a content, confident side going into the second Test they may want to look with caution at the example of India in 2014 when they won at Lords only to fold in the following three Tests. The matchwinning skills in Pakistans first-choice attack - injuries would test their depth - mean that such a swing in fortunes is more unlikely. There is even an argument to say that in Mohammad Amirs case, with the pressure of his comeback Test dealt with and overs under his belt, he may be better for the run out.Another key difference is that in the India series two lively surfaces at Old Trafford and The Oval played firmly into Englands hands. In this series, Pakistans attack is as likely to enjoy such conditions as Englands.Still, Pakistan are not without issues the main one being their opening combination of Mohammad Hafeez and Shan Masood. They made scores of 40, 7, 0 and 24 at Lords, meaning that Azhar Ali was exposed early at No. 3 and Younis Khan was at the crease inside 20 overs in both innings.Pakistan nailed their colours to the mast by playing the same batsmen in both their pre-series warm-ups and the only chance for the reserve players to have a hit will be in the two-game against Worcestershire following the second Test. Still, Masood could find himself under pressure if he does not deliver at Old Trafford with Englands seamers seemingly having his number outside off stump.It can happen in these conditions against the new ball, Misbah said. Dont be impatient, give them confidence and back them. You have got to believe they can deliver, thats the only way.Hafeez has now completed his 12-month suspension for a suspect action and is eligible for a re-test, which Pakistan are considering trying to fit in before the third Test at Edgbaston.That could give us a big advantage, Misbah said, if we have him when the opposition have four or five left-handers.A serious fifth-bowling option, and a spinner who turns the ball the opposite direction to Yasir. It would make an already compelling Pakistan attack look even more threatening. For now, they are managing superbly well with what they have available although they would probably appreciate Yasir not being peppered by his team-mates. ' ' '