Irmo native Devontae Shuler scored a career-high 31 points in Ole Miss’ 81-74 win over South Carolina.

Ole Miss nearly led wire-to-wire. South Carolina led for just 26 seconds, after a three-pointer by AJ Lawson put South Carolina up 15-14. But Devontae Shuler answered with a three of his own, and Ole Miss never looked back.

The Rebels led by four late in the first half, and both teams were shooting under 40% from the floor. Then the Rebels made six straight shots in a 13-2 run that put the Rebels up 36-23. That run was essentially all the Rebels needed.

“We just start bleeding and we don’t have the courage to make a shot or get a stop,” Frank Martin said.

Ole Miss’ lead stayed between eight and 15 for most of the second half. A 7-0 run gave Ole Miss an 18-point lead with 5:45 left. A pair of 7-0 runs and missed free throws helped South Carolina cut the lead back to single digits.

The Gamecocks got as close as five points with 15 seconds left, but AJ Lawson missed a three-pointer. Trae Hannibal got the offensive rebound but lost control of the ball, and Shuler made a pair of free throws for the final margin. Shuler finished with 31 points on 8-13 shooting and 13-16 from the foul line. He also had seven rebounds and four assists, although he turned the ball over seven times.

“Our inability to stop the other team’s best player is becoming a broken record,” Martin said. “It’s about manning up.

As a team, Ole Miss shot 50% from the floor and was 34-44 from the free throw line, although the Rebels missed five of their last ten free throws to let the Gamecocks creep back into the game.

“We can’t stop anybody and it’s at the guard position mostly,” Martin said.

About ten minutes into the game South Carolina lost Jermain Couisnard to a left ankle injury. He was scoreless with three turnovers when he was injured, and South Carolina failed to get productive play from the point guard position for most of the game.

South Carolina shot just 40%, had 19 turnovers, and just 12 assists for the game. Seventh Woods got the bulk of the point guard duties after Couisnards injury, but he reverted to his old turnover-prone ways. Woods had four turnovers in 22 minutes before fouling out, while shooting just 2-7 with an assist. Woods was also responsible for a string of one- or no-pass empty possessions in the second half while Ole Miss was stretching out its lead.

Trae Hannibal was the most effective point guard. He had 12 points and went 8-8 from the foul line. He also had four assists and made several key plays during the frantic comeback attempt, but even Hannibal had four turnovers.

TJ Moss only played three minutes. He had three points, an assist, and steal, but managed to commit three fouls. The four point guards combined to commit 11 of South Carolina’s 19 turnovers, while contributing just six assists.

“We just haven’t been playing as a team these past couple games. That’s been the problem,” said Keyshawn Bryant, who added that he needs to do a better job of getting the Gamecocks going. “Everybody should be frustrated that we’re not on the same page.”

Lawson finished with 22 points and seven rebounds to lead the Gamecocks. Bryant had an off night, but still contributed nine points, five rebounds, and three assists. He force a pair of turnovers late that helped spark the Gamecocks’ comeback attempt.

Notes:

After wearing black uniforms at home Tuesday night, South Carolina wore garnet at home Saturday. … Wildens Leveque had a career-high 13 points, but only played 18 minutes because, despite being three inches taller than the next tallest player on the court for either team, he had zero rebounds. … Nathan Nelson hit a three in the first half. He has now hit three straight and four of his last five from behind the arc. … The 1971 ACC Championship team was honored during the game. … Justin Minaya collided with Lawson late in the game and left with a head injury. He was in the locker room after the game, which was a good sign. Minaya had a game-high nine rebounds. … South Carolina’s next game is Tuesday at Tennessee.