“Unleash the beast”: South Carolina fans impressed with 6'5" red-shirt freshman’s surprising performance

The No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks dominated in their Thursday matchup against the Missouri Tigers as they began Southeastern Conference play. In the end, fans got to see a standout performance from a red-shirt freshman.

The Gamecocks made a post on Instagram, featuring a collage of their team's special moments against their SEC opponents during the 83-52 victory.

"Coming home all smiles from the other Columbia," the post caption read.

Fans celebrated the win in the comments, specifically noting Adhel Tac's standout performance in a short amount of time. The forward played for five minutes and finished with nine points and six rebounds on a 3-of-5 shooting.

"Loved Adhel 9 pts in 4 minutes! Unleash the beast!" one fan said.

A fan reacts to South Carolina's performance. (Instagram/@gamecockwbb)

"Tec! Turned up tonight last 4min and all!" one commented.

A fan reacts to the Gamecocks' performance. (Instagram/@gamecockwbb)

"Adhel with 9 points, six rebounds, and a block in 5 minutes on the court?!?!? Tough," another said.

A fan reacts to the Gamecocks' performance. (Instagram/@gamecockwbb)

Others were proud of Tac for showing what she can bring to the Gamecocks, hoping she will have a bigger impact throughout conference play.

"Tac attacking the hoop on both sides of the ball. You can tell she's putting in work! Dawn is slick, bringing her outright at the start of conf play! She could be that big SC needs down the road this year," one fan claims.

A fan reacts to the Gamecocks' performance. (Instagram/@gamecockwbb)

"Adhel is special, and I can't wait to see her play more minutes," one fan stated.

A fan reacts to the Gamecocks' performance. (Instagram/@gamecockwbb)

"So happy for Adhel!" one fan exclaimed.

A fan reacts to the Gamecocks' performance. (Instagram/@gamecockwbb)

What's next for South Carolina after the win vs Missouri

The win over the Tigers improved No. 2 South Carolina's record to 13-1 on the season. This also extends the team's winning streak to eight games.

Throughout their victory run, they have beaten all their opponents by double-digits, featuring Iowa State, Purdue, Duke, and TCU. They have played defense at a high level in this stretch, limiting opponents to 52 points per contest.

This season, the Gamecocks are averaging 81.6 points on 46.4% shooting from the field and 34.4% from beyond the arc, blowing out teams by a winning margin of 27.2 points. Their defensive playmaking and ball movement are noteworthy, averaging a combined 16.3 steals and blocks and dishing out 15.9 assists per game.

The No. 2 South Carolina will prepare for their next matchup of conference play against Mississippi State at the Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.