Hallelujah! Murray-Boyles leads Gamecocks to first SEC win with 84-69 trouncing of Texas (AUDIO)

COLONIAL LIFE ARENA: South Carolina busted out of its SEC slump in a big way, Saturday, putting the boots to Texas 84-69 to snap a 13-game conference losing streak. USC held Texas to 31% shooting from the 3-point line and 40% overall. It was a team effort, but Collin Murray-Boyles shouldered the heaviest load, cramming the stat sheet with 22 points, ten rebounds, three assists and three blocks.

Texas, coming off an emotional victory over Kentucky, was flat early and missed 10 of its first 12 shots. More importantly, the Longhorns had no answer for Murray-Boyles, who carved up the Texas interior like a brisket. The sophomore scored 16 of his team-high 22 points in the first 18 minutes as the Gamecocks built an 18-point halftime advantage.

The Gamecocks hadn’t picked up a win since defeating Presbyterian College on Dec. 30th. There have been plenty of close calls over the last 54 days, with six SEC losses coming by five points or fewer, but USC finally put all the pieces together in conference game no. 14.

Texas mounted a 13-2 run after Murray-Boyles picked up his fourth foul with 6:39 to play, but the Gamecocks recovered and salted the game away with defensive stops down the stretch. Jamarii Thomas (15 points), Zachary Davis (12 points) and Morris Ugusuk (10 points) joined Murray-Boyles in double figures. Thomas didn’t shoot the ball well in the half-court, making just one shot from the field, but made up for it by knocking down 12 of 13 from the foul line.

Murray-Boyles fouled out with 4:23 left, but USC scored on three of its next four possessions to put the game out of reach.

The word “relief” was a common refrain in the postgame comments from head coach Lamont Paris, Murray-Boyles and Thomas. Paris said that the team will no longer be consumed by snapping the losing streak and can instead “process things differently” coming off a victory.

South Carolina (11-16, 1-13) will look to make it two SEC wins in a row with a trip to Missouri on deck. Tipoff between the Gamecocks and the Tigers is set for 9 p.m., Tuesday.

Final Stats

Gamecocks postgame press conference

Lamont Paris

Collin Murray-Boyles and Jamarii Thomas