South Carolina’s roller-coaster season continued with a 75-59 loss to Mississippi State.
Just days after upsetting #22 Florida, South Carolina was unable to sustain any sort of momentum. In that win, South Carolina held the Gators, the SEC-best-shooting team, to just 66 points on 40% shooting, including 32% in the second half and no baskets over the final six minutes.
It flipped against Mississippi State.
South Carolina struggled offensively, shooting jst 31% for the game. AJ Lawson and Keyshawn Bryant each scored 13, but both shot 4-13. Jermaine Couisnard and Justin Minaya were a combined 1-14 for four points. South Carolina beat Florida by getting the ball inside, outsourcing the Gators by 20 in the paint and attempting just four three-pointers in the second half. South Carolina was just plus-two in the paint against Mississippi State and was content to fire up brick after brick from three, going 5-25 for the game, with three coming during a 9-0 spurt to start the second half.
“Sometimes we got a little quick on the trigger and didn’t move their defense,” Frank Martin said. “The right guys shot the ball and they didn’t go in.”
South Carolina tied the game at 39 early in the second half, following those three consecutive threes. Mississippi State pulled back in front, but then Lawson hit a three and Couisnard converted a three-point play to put South Carolina up 47-45. Mississippi State answered with a 23-5 run during which South Carolina missed 13 straight shots (six were threes) and offered little resistance on defense.
“Our inability to make perimeter shots allowed their defense to stay closer to the paint,” Martin said. “They just didn’t come out. As the game evolved our ability to play closer to the rim got harder and harder.”
The Gamecocks finished the game missing 19 of their final 22 shot attempts, and Wildens Leveque, who had seven points and tied his career-high with 10 rebounds, said South Carolina wasn’t able to adjust to the way Mississippi State packed its defense into the paint.
“There was a lot of people in the paint,” he said. “They really wanted us to shoot (jumpshots) a lot, so that’s what they gave us.”
Compounding the issue, South Carolina got just six fast break points despite 21 Mississippi State turnovers. There were no easy baskets to make up for the half-court struggles.
“Effort. That means guys running, guys attacking,” Martin said. “You get them in the open court and you go attack. We couldn’t do that.”
The defensive effort that shut down Florida was nowhere to be found against Mississippi State. DJ Stewart scored a seemingly effortless 29 points. The Bulldogs shot 46% for the game, but 50% in the second half. During the decisive 23-5 run, they made 8-13 shots, and were shooting around 60% for the second half until finishing 1-5 to drag the percentage down.
“We got absolutely destroyed in the physicality department of the game,” Martin said. “We had nobody that can deal with the screens they set and guard DJ Stewart.
“We can’t put two good games in a row. It’s a roller-coaster right now and it’s disappointing.”
Notes:
The game began with South Carolina ahead 1-0. Mississippi State was called for a technical foul after some pregame shoving, and AJ Lawson made the resulting free throw. … Lawson scored his 1,000th career point in the first half. … Seventh Woods entered the game shooting 1-15 from three. He hit back-to-back threes early in the second half and finished with 10 points. … The Bulldogs shot 10-19 from three. … The Bulldogs were plus-16 rebounding, not quite the 100 that Martin guessed. … South Carolina’s next game is Tuesday against Alabama.
