best starter takes the mound Tuesday night.Carlos Martine

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. Stephon Gilmore Youth Jersey . 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LOUIS -- Jedd Gyorko has just about chomped off the hand that once fed him.The former San Diego Padre has feasted on his old teams pitching in four meetings this year, going 9-for-14 with three homers and five RBI. He was 3-for-3 with a solo homer and two runs Monday night in the St. Louis Cardinals 10-2 win.However, Gyorko downplayed the concept of getting up a little more for games with San Diego.Its just one of those things, he said. Im seeing the ball well and thats what it comes down to.Based on those numbers, Gyorko might be back in the lineup for Tuesday nights game, even though the Padres will trot out a right-hander in Colin Rea (5-3, 4.95). Gyorko has homered in three straight games against San Diego, making him the first St. Louis hitter to do so since Rick Ankiel went yard in four straight games from 2007-08.Gyorkos homer Monday night came a pitch after Randal Grichuk belted a two-run shot, marking the ninth straight game in which the Cardinals homered. Thats their longest streak since cracking homers in 11 straight games in May 2009.Rea could be a candidate to make that 10 in a row. Although his nine homers in 87 innings is a respectable figure, Rea is also allowing the opponents to bat .259 and has allowed a team-high 37 walks.And its not like St. Louis needs the help. It has belted 126 homers this year, only 11 fewer than it hit all last year, and is on pace to finish with more than 200.But the Cardinals are just 488-44 even though theyve outscored opponents by 98 runs, in large part because of poor fielding and inconsistent pitching.dddddddddddd. However, their best starter takes the mound Tuesday night.Carlos Martinez (8-6, 2.85 ERA) is coming off an 11-strikeout performance July 9 in Milwaukee that tied a career high. Martinez has been especially murderous on right-handed hitters, allowing them just one extra-base hit and limiting them to a .189 slugging percentage.However, Martinez will face three powerful right-handed bats at the top of the San Diego lineup in Melvin Upton, Jr., Wil Myers and Matt Kemp, who have combined for 55 homers.Kemps fourth inning homer Monday night extended the Padres franchise-record streak with a long ball to 16 straight games, the National Leagues longest since the 2010 Milwaukee Brewers homered in 16 consecutive games.With the first four guys, the ball can leave the yard at any time, San Diego manager Andy Green said.But Kemps homer was the only offensive highlight for the Padres (41-52) Monday night as they fanned 15 times. Myers punched out in all four of his at-bats, the first time in his career hes done that.I dont know about being surprised, Green said. I mean, its baseball. There are games during a season where you have games like that. This game is gone. Im not happy about it. ' ' '