COLUMBIA, S.C. -- PJ Dozier had a career-high 21 points and No. 20 South Carolina improved to 7-0 for a second straight season with a 68-50 victory over Vermont on Thursday night.Dozier, the 6-foot-6 sophomore, helped the Gamecocks to a 13-1 run at the start of the second half. Maik Kotsar had eight points in the charge while Dozier had a 3-pointer and a thunderous finish to an alley-oop pass that had the crowd on its feet as South Carolina took a 49-32 lead.The Catamounts (6-3) could not respond to taller, quicker South Carolina.Dozier had three of the Gamecocks four 3-pointers in besting his previous high of 17 points, set in the season opener against Louisiana Tech.Kotsar had 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting, mostly from close to the basket, while Chris Silva added 12 points for South Carolina.Dozier had six rebounds, as did the 6-9 Silva, along with three steals.Anthony Lamb had 14 points, the only Vermont player in double figures.THE BIG PICTUREVermont: The Catamounts have won 20 or more games in coach John Beckers five seasons and had a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2012 and the NIT in 2014. They do it with a mix of strong-shooting upperclassmen and enough young talent to compete in the American East Conference. But Vermont doesnt have enough firepower to keep up with a top-20 team like South Carolina. The Gamecocks defense kept the Catamounts off balance most of the way as they fell behind by 14 points in the opening half.South Carolina: For their success last week in defeating ranked opponents Michigan and Syracuse, the Gamecocks are very much a work in progress. One starter, Kotsar, and four of the five players off the bench are in their first years at South Carolina and several times an animated coach Frank Martin yanked players, loudly questioning their technique. He calmed in the second half with South Carolinas quick start.UP NEXTVermont gets almost a week off before starting three straight at home with Dartmouth on Dec. 7.South Carolina concludes a two-game home stand against Florida International on Sunday. Peyton Manning Colts Jersey . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. Pat McAfee Womens Jersey . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. http://www.officialindianapoliscoltspro.com/Khari-willis-colts-jersey/Rock Ya-Sin Youth Jersey . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. Khari Willis Youth Jersey . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. RIO DE JANEIRO -- U.S. womens water polo coach Adam Krikorian shook his head in disgust after an ugly turnover in the third. He put in five new swimmers after China scored in the fourth, and then clapped his hands at his bench as if trying for a late wake-up call.And it hardly mattered. The United States was in complete control right from the start, never in danger of losing to overmatched China. It turns out winning isnt the only thing for the defending world and Olympic champions.Were more concerned with how we play and trying to be as consistent as possible, Krikorian said after the United States 12-4 victory on Thursday. I dont think I saw that in the second half and when you play every other day, theres no reason to rest. Were getting plenty of rest on our off days and we just got to keep it into a high gear there.The United States improved to 36-2 in 2016 with its 18th straight victory, rolling to titles on three continents before beating Spain 11-4 in its Olympic opener on Tuesday. It has scored in double figures 17 times during its win streak, totaling 231 goals overall and outscoring opponents by an average of seven goals.But captain Maggie Steffens dismissed any notion of complacency as the U.S. tries to become the first country to win consecutive Olympic titles in womens water polo.Each game is a gold-medal game, Steffens said. Each game is an opportunity for us to represent the USA, and thats the motivation.Steffens scored three of her four goals as the United States jumped to a 7-1 lead at the break. But it grew more careless with the ball as the game went along, including the third-quarter turnover during a rare 6-on-4 power play that prompted Krikorians exasperated reaction.We had too many turnovers that game, U.dddddddddddd.S. attacker Kaleigh Gilchrist said. China capitalized on a few, but they could have capitalized on a lot more, and knowing as we go ahead opponents are going to try to look to do that, so we have to tighten a few things up.The United States only two losses so far this year are to Australia, 5-4 on May 26 in California and 5-4 on May 31 in China. But the Aussie Stingers lost 8-7 to Italy on Thursday, a potentially costly result that could force them into a semifinal matchup with the United States.Australias Rowie Webster tied it at 7 with 2:37 to go, but Roberta Bianconi had a power-play goal for Italy with 34 seconds remaining.I think the game was won and lost in the extra-man goals that they scored and we potentially missed, Webster said.Australia faces winless Brazil on Saturday on the final day of the preliminary round. Italy, which leads Group A with four points, takes on Russia, Spain plays against China, and the United States faces Hungary. The quarterfinals begin Monday.Italys Giulia Gorlero, splashing the water at times in celebration or frustration, had 10 saves in the victory over the Aussies.Our match is very important for us, Golero said through a translator. But thats not enough. ... Our tournament starts in the quarterfinals.Also Thursday, Ekaterina Prokofyeva and Evgeniya Ivanova scored three goals apiece to lead Russia to a 14-7 win against Brazil, and Judith Forca Ariza scored in the fourth to help Spain hold on for an 11-10 victory over Hungary.---J