South Carolina got a brilliant game from Maik Kotsar, but a chaotic last minute comeback fell short and the Gamecocks lost 79-76 at Mississippi State.
Kotsar made his first seven shots and scored 14 of the Gamecocks’ first 20 points on the way to a season-high 24 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals. But his heroics could only mask the Gamecocks’ struggles for so long. Other than Kotsar, the Gamecocks struggled shooting and defensively. At one point late in the game, Kotsar had 22 points, AJ Lawson had 12, and the rest of the Gamecocks had 18.
“He’s been playing like a first team all-league player,” Frank Martin said. “He’s worked his ass off. This team has a chance to be good and is where we’re at right now because of him.”
South Carolina trailed by nine at halftime and as much as 11 in the second half. Each time South Carolina made a run, Mississippi State was able to snuff it out. Jermaine Couisnard picked up two fouls early in the first half and had trouble finding a rhythm for much of the game. He finally got something going late in the game, and almost erased Mississippi State’s lead. He had a chance to cut it to three with about ten minutes left, but lost control of his dribble going in for a layup. Mississippi State scored the next two baskets and was back in control.
It happened again five minutes later. Couisnard, who finished with 17 points, made four consecutive free throws and WIldens Leveque hit a layup to cut the deficit to three. But Kotsar was called for his fourth foul, and Abdul Ado made a free throw. Couisnard missed a runner and D.J. Stewart, Jr. made a transition three.
“Any time we got the game to where we were right there, we couldn’t get over the hump, even in the first half,” Martin said.
South Carolina made Mississippi State earn the win, fouling to prolong the game. The final minute of the game took almost 18 minutes of real time, and South Carolina scored seven straight in a nine-second span, capped by a steal and Jair Bolden three to cut the deficit to one point with seven seconds left. Mississippi State’s Nick Weatherspoon was fouled and made both free throws. Mississippi State then fouled Couisnard so he couldn’t attempt a game-tying three. He made the first and intentionally missed the second, but Mississippi State got the rebound. Robert Woodard II was fouled and made the first and missed the second free throw. South Carolina was unable to get off a game-tying attempt in time, and Mississippi State held on.
South Carolina shot 48 percent for the game, including 50 percent in the second half, but it couldn’t get stops when it needed them, nor could it overcome a huge free throw disparity. Mississippi State shot 50 percent for the game and 57 percent in the second half, and was able to take advantage of defensive letdowns whenever the game got close. Mississippi State also shot 36 free throws, compared to just 19 for South Carolina. The total was inflated when South Carolina had to foul to prolong the game (Mississippi State went 8-10 from the line in the final minute of the game), but the disparity was here throughout the game.
“Defensively our guards were really bad today,” Martin said. “Mississippi State got the ball wherever they wanted to. We couldn’t disrupt what they were doing and then all we did was foul.”
Weatherspoon led “He’s been playing like a first team all-league player,” Frank Martin said. “He’s worked his ass off. This team has a chance to be good and is where we’re at right now because of him.” with 18 points, including 14 in the second half. South Carolina , particularly Kotsar, played good defense on “He’s been playing like a first team all-league player,” Frank Martin said. “He’s worked his ass off. This team has a chance to be good and is where we’re at right now because of him.”’s Reggie Perry, holding him to just two points in the first half and 10 for the game, well below his season average of 17.7.
Notes:
Jalyn McCreary missed the game with a head injury. … South Carolina was just 4-17 from three. Lawson was 2-7 and Couisnard was 0-5. … Nathan Nelson, a hero against Tennessee played “0+” minutes, appearing only in the final minute. … Kotsar finished one point shy of his career-high, set last season against Mississippi State. … Announced attendance was 6,281. … South Carolina’s next game is Saturday against LSU. Less than 2,700 tickets remain.
