South Carolina made just enough free throws and held off Arkansas for a 79-77 road win.
The Gamecocks never trailed in the game, and were in control early. They shot better than 50 percent in the first half while holding the Razorbacks to barely 30 percent, but were unable to shake the Razorbacks. The Razorbacks used an 8-2 run at the start of the second half to tie the game at 40. But the Gamecocks answered with a 13-4 run and seemed back in control.
The officials took over in the second half, and as it usually is, that was a problem for South Carolina. The officials called 57 fouls in the game, and the teams combined to shoot 73 free throws (it would have been several more if not for missed front ends). South Carolina entered the game shooting 61.2 percent from the line, 344th in the nation. It was even worse late in the second half, going 9-23 after AJ Lawson, a 76 percent shooter, missed a pair. Arkansas took advantage and cut the lead to two points.
Arkansas was called for a foul on a rebound, and a technical foul was added on top. Jair Bolden sank both technical free throws, and then Wildens Leveque, who had just badly missed a pair, hit both. On the next possession, Trae Hannibal, who was 1-4 sank a pair. As a team, South Carolina made 8-10 free throws down the stretch. That included a 1-2 trip by Jermaine Couisnard with 26 seconds left that gave the final margin.
Arkansas still had a chance to win the game, and called a timeout with seven second left, inbounding under its own basket. But South Carolina played outstanding defense. Mason Jones, who had been almost unstoppable with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists, inbounded, but Hannibal denied him a chance to get the ball back. Bolden guarded the ball and forced a desperate pass to Isaiah Joe in the corner. Joe attempted the three to win, but Lawson was all over him and forced the miss.
For the game, South Carolina shot 50.9 percent from the floor, yet just 30 percent from three and 51.5 percent from the line. Although Arkansas shot just 40.7 percent, it made nine more free throws on seven more attempts.
Lawson led South Carolina with 19 points, and made some clutch shots. He shot 8-13 and had five rebounds for what was easily his best game in SEC play. Maik Kotsar added 10 points and nine rebounds before fouling out, but the rest of the starting lineup struggled to score. That opened the door for the bench to contribute, and the reserves came through. Bolden had 12 points and freshmen Hannibal, Leveque, and Jalyn McCreary all had solid games. Hannibal had a career-high 11 points. Leveque showed both how much potential he has and how much he has to learn, fouling out with eight points and five rebounds in just eight minutes. McCreary had six points and three rebounds, and is averaging 6.6 points and 3.4 rebounds over the last games.
Notes:
Arkansas entered the game last in the SEC in rebounding, but the teams were even with 36 rebounds each. … Joe did not start due to a sore knee, but still ended up playing 36 minutes and scoring 16 points. … With Hannibal getting more playing time, TJ Moss only played two minutes. ... McCreary has committed exactly four fouls in six straight games. ... Announced attendance was 14,085. … South Carolina’s next game is Saturday against Missouri.
