Fresh off a convincing 26-point rout of the Tennessee Volunteers, the Gamecocks recorded their third loss in the previous five games, losing to the Mississippi State Bulldogs 68-58.
The loss jeopardizes South Carolina’s chance at a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament and the team drops to third in the SEC trailing both Kentucky and Texas A&M. It’s also South Carolina’s fourth loss this season to a sub-.500 SEC team.
Mississippi State’s offense was hot from the start, beginning the game on a 25-9 run that ultimately dug too deep a hole for the Gamecocks. The Bulldogs shot 55.6 percent from the field in the first half and assisted on 12 baskets, compared to just 30 percent shooting by South Carolina.
Senior guard Craig Sword was a perfect 3-3 in the first half and 2-2 from long range. Sword swung the game’s momentum in Mississippi State’s favor midway through the first half with back-to-back buckets in a 20 second span that increased the lead to double-digits. The Bulldogs held a double-digit lead for the next 29 minutes of play and never trailed in the game.
South Carolina never recovered in this game, mainly because of its inefficiency at the hoop. The team scored 30 points in the paint, down from 42 against Tennessee on Wednesday, and received minimal contributions from the big guys down low. Laimonas Chatkevicus and Mindaugus Kacinas combined for 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Michael Carrera added six points of his own on 1-8 shooting.
“At the end of the day, you got to make layups if you want to win on the road,” head coach Frank Martin said.
Senior forward Gavin Ware clogged the paint defensively for Mississippi State, preventing South Carolina from penetrating the lane. Ware led all scorers with 16 points, while also hauling down 12 rebounds.
Martin opted to start his veterans again Saturday, bringing freshmen standouts PJ Dozier and Chris Silva off the bench for the third consecutive game. Both freshmen were sent to the bench after South Carolina’s devastating loss to the last place Missouri Tigers.
Dozier was limited to 21 minutes in Saturday’s game because of foul trouble.
South Carolina will play its final home game against Georgia on Thursday and then finish up the regular season at Arkansas on Saturday. Closing out the season with two victories could avenge the team’s damaging loss to Mississippi State and earn the Gamecocks better seeding in the NCAA Tournament.