No. 1 South Carolina opens season with 101-93 win over No. 20 Maryland in Paris; Addi Mack scores 35 for Terrapins
The Gamecocks built too big a lead to overcome, but Maryland's Addi Mack scored 31 second-half points in a star-making performance.
South Carolina's highly anticipated 2026-27 season got off to an impressive start with a 101-93 victory over No. 20 Maryland in Paris. Sophomore guard Addi Mack led the Terrapins with a stellar performance, tallying 35 points and hitting six three-pointers. The Gamecocks took an early lead, running out to an 8-0 start and soon building a 15-2 and 22-5 cushion. By the end of the first quarter, South Carolina led 33-14.
The Terrapins showed resilience in the second quarter, with Agot Makeer and Joyce Edwards contributing 22 points combined. Makeer even hit a crucial buzzer-beater to extend South Carolina's lead to 28 points at the half, 61-33. However, Maryland refused to surrender, mounting a comeback in the third quarter as Mack scored 17 points. The Terrapins took advantage of a 9-point margin at the quarter's end, trailing 78-59 heading into the final stretch.
A mid-fourth-quarter surge by South Carolina saw them cut Maryland's lead to a slim 89-80 with just over five minutes left. However, Mack and Bri McDaniel orchestrated a tenacious 10-0 spurt to extend the Gamecocks' lead to 16 points at 3 minutes remaining. The Terrapins staged one last offensive surge, scoring ten consecutive points powered by Mack and McDaniel. Trinity Jones made a crucial three-pointer to make the score 96-90 with 43 seconds left in regulation.
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