South Carolina’s SEC schedule was top-heavy with heavyweights, and the thought was once the Gamecocks got to the lighter weights, they would start to win some league games. Tuesday night, the Gamecocks played one of those light weights, LSU, in Baton Rouge. The result was their 13th straight loss 81-67.
The Gamecocks are one loss away from tying the program record for longest losing streak.
Slack defense and turnovers were the story of this particular loss for USC. The Tigers shot 50% and made 13 three-point shots. LSU came into the game shooting 31% from deep but has made 24 three-pointers in the last two games.
The ball handling was once again atrocious by South Carolina as the Gamecocks lost the handle 18 times. Multiple passes were thrown at no one in particular, and even the simplest ball-handling maneuvers seemed foreign to the Gamecocks.
USC is now averaging 15 turnovers per game in their 13 SEC games.
The game turned in the latter stages of the first half. LSU turned a 16-14 lead into a 36-20 advantage in about an eight-minute stretch by hitting either of ten shots, half of which were three pointers. The Gamecocks, on the other hand, were 3-11 from the floor with four turnovers during the Tigers’ run.
The Gamecocks did make a couple of runs of their own in the second half, the second one cutting the lead to nine with 13:26 to play. And the run could have been even greater after a steal by Morris Ugusuk. But Nick Pringle lost the ball for a turnover and LSU’s Cam Carter nailed a fastbreak three
That started the final, downward spiral by the Gamecocks. Instead of being as close as six, the Gamecocks were back down twelve. Then came another USC turnover by Pringle followed by another LSU three, and the deficit was 15. Pringle then suffered yet another turnover, he had six on the night, and LSU turned it into points with a second chance tip-in.
The Gamecocks now trailed by 17. The lead would grow to 21 points and the closest USC would come the rest of the way was 14 points.
Along with forcing the 18 turnovers, twelve of which were steals, the Tigers also blocked five shots, so 23 of the Gamecocks’ 65 possessions, (35%) ended without a shot attempt. That helped to limit their field goal attempts to 51, one of their lowest figures of the season.
Jamarii Thomas led USC in scoring with 23 points on 9-16 shooting including three three-pointers. Collin Murray-Boyles had 16 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season.
LSU had four to score in double figures with Carter the high man with 17 points.
South Carolina is now 10-16 overall and 0-13 in the SEC and will host Texas Saturday night.
Final Stats
