The momentum certainly did not return from Gainesville to Columbia, as South Carolina fell at home in Mississippi, 75-59, on Saturday afternoon.
Three days after the Gamecocks (5-7, 3-5) defeated a ranked team of Gators, highlighted by scoring 50 points in the painting, they were kept at 24 points per rim and hit only 31 (19 of 61) percent the field.
After hitting 29 percent (9 of 31) in the first half and losing 36-30, the Gamecocks tied the game at 41 and made seven of their first 10 shots. The percentage of pitches in the second half went from 70 to 33, as they hit only three of the 20 final shots.
“You can’t kick the ball the way we did and think you have a chance to win in the league, especially on one of the best defensive teams”, head coach Frank Martin said post-game. “(We) fired perimeter shots because they were sitting in the painting. Sometimes we acted a little quick on the trigger and didn’t move their defense. The only (offensive) set I wanted to attack them with (which we practiced), eight or 10 times in the game and we never played it once.
“That’s one of the things that have been really difficult to manage with this team, our inability to have five guys understand the adjustments and concepts. The right guy kicked, but they didn’t get in.”
South Carolina had the second highest SEC scoring pair entering the game with AJ Lawson and Keyshawn Bryant combining with an average of 37.5 points per game. Each of them was maintained at 13 points and 4 of 13 shots. Lawson recorded his 1000th career point in the first half. Jermaine CouisnardThe SEC’s difficult season continued. He had 1 of 8 points on the floor, with four points and five turns in 26 minutes. Seventh woods was in double digits in the score for the second consecutive game. He had 10 points from 4 out of 8 shots with two trios made in 27 minutes played.
#Gamecocks guards Jermaine Couisnard and TJ Moss on the court after the game getting kicked after the team went 31% of the field and 20% of the three-point streak. pic.twitter.com/lvQK026Zhp
– John Del Bianco (@John_DelBianco) February 6, 2021
“(Assistant coach) Will Bailey it’s phenomenal, “said Martin when asked about guys shooting after the game.” I told Will to bring these guys here and they come in. He brings them in and the three assistants go to the court and throw balls at them. These guys throw balls. Whatever it is (it’s happening on the court as I speak), I’m glad it’s happening. This is good, much better than the alternative. When the lights come on, you have to let go and the ball enters the net. “
Going into the game, Gamecocks were unlikely to have many second chance opportunities on the offensive side. Bulldogs led the SEC and ranked 22nd nationally with a +7.6 recovery margin. Striker Tolu Smith’s 8.7 rebounds per game led the SEC. Smith recorded eight of his team’s 46 rebounds, a -16 rebound margin for a Gamecocks team that had 30 rebounds.
Gamecocks leading the rebound, Justin Minaya, led the SEC with 3.7 offensive rebounds per game. He kept one on Saturday in 20 minutes played. Carolina’s longest-running Gamecock went goalless (0 of 6). Minaya had two points and five rebounds in both games this week. In the season, Minaya is shooting only 28 percent (14 out of 50) in the three-point range. He scored 0 out of 5 on Saturday.
“His energy is not good. Now, we have to find that out, “said Martin.” He’s an established player here, one thing he’s always had is energy. Your energy is not good. We have to fix this. “
Coming from one of his best defensive performances of the season, Martin’s team allowed 10 points out of three for the state of Mississippi. The Bulldogs hit 46 percent of the field. The top scorer of the season, DJ Stewart (17.1 ppg), scored 29 points out of 10 out of 17 shots.
Gamecocks forced 21 turnovers, a number they would normally celebrate with transition points. They only managed six quick break points, which were even more damaging to the attack.
“Effort, again. That means guys running and guys attacking, “said Martin.” They are a great team. If you leave your defense defined, it becomes a problem. We couldn’t go into the court and attack them. The times we try, we fail to convert. “
Gamecocks will remain in Columbia for the next week. On Tuesday, they will receive Alabama’s number 10 at 6:30 pm on the SEC Network. SEC leader Crimson Tide lost to No. 18 Missouri on the road on Saturday afternoon. On Saturday, February 13, they will receive Ole Miss at 6 pm on the SEC Network.