In a season finale that epitomized their competitive spirit despite a difficult conference campaign, South Carolina pushed fourth-ranked Tennessee to the limit before ultimately falling 75-65 Saturday afternoon in Knoxville.
The Gamecocks (12-19, 2-16 SEC) entered Thompson-Boling Arena as heavy underdogs but matched the Volunteers (25-6, 12-6 SEC) shot for shot for much of the contest, even taking a brief second-half lead before Tennessee's talent and home-court advantage proved decisive down the stretch.
After trailing by as many as 10 points early, South Carolina mounted an impressive first-half comeback. Jamari Thomas, who finished with a team-high 20 points, spearheaded the surge that saw the Gamecocks take a 34-31 lead in the final minute of the opening period. Though Tennessee's Cade Phillips converted a three-point play to tie the game at 34 heading into halftime, South Carolina had served notice they wouldn't go quietly.
The teams traded leads eight times throughout the contest, with South Carolina last holding a 42-41 advantage with 14:38 remaining after a Collin Murray-Boyles layup. However, the Volunteers responded with an 8-0 run over the next three minutes to create separation.
Still, the Gamecocks continued to fight. Arden Conyers, who finished with 9 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc, hit his third three-pointer to trim the deficit to 50-47 with 12:41 remaining. But Tennessee's Chaz Lanier took over, scoring 10 of his game-high 23 points in a four-minute stretch that helped push the Volunteers' lead to 58-50.
South Carolina remained within striking distance until the final minutes. Nick Pringle's dunk with 6:51 remaining cut Tennessee's lead to 64-56, but the Gamecocks went over four minutes without a field goal during a crucial stretch late in the game. By the time Thomas connected on a three-pointer with 56 seconds left, the outcome had largely been decided.
Pringle finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds for an impreessive double-double, while Zachary Davis added 10 points. Murray-Boyles, who had dominated in recent games, was limited to 7 points against Tennessee's stout interior defense.
The Volunteers shot 54.5% from the field and controlled the paint, outscoring South Carolina 42-24 inside. Lanier's 23 points came on 9-of-16 shooting, while Zakai Zeigler orchestrated the offense with 8 assists despite scoring just one point. Cameron Phillips provided a spark off the bench with 15 points, and Igor Milicic Jr. contributed 13 points and 5 rebounds.
Despite the loss, South Carolina's performance against one of the SEC's elite teams represented significant improvement from much of their conference slate. The Gamecocks competed at a high level throughout, shooting 77.3% from the free-throw line (17-of-22) and committing just 9 turnovers against Tennessee's pressure defense.
South Carolina now turns its attention to the SEC Tournament in Nashville next week, where they'll enter as the 16th seed with their opponent still to be determined. Though the regular season record wasn't what they hoped, the Gamecocks' late-season competitiveness suggests they could be a dangerous first-round opponent for whoever they face.
