The South Carolina men's basketball team was plagued with a few key injuries to their backcourt in their 81-76 loss to Mississippi State Wednesday night. Redshirt junior Kory Holden has been out since December with a hamstring injury, while freshman guard Justin Minaya suffered a high ankle sprain on Monday. This hurt South Carolina in the game, but it also gave way for graduate student Frank Booker to shine.
The Gamecocks already lost offensive production after it was announced just before the game that Minaya wouldn't be playing. Minaya has been a boost to the Gamecocks starting five, averaging 8.4 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game and 1.3 assists per game. The injury allowed Booker to step up and give the Gamecock offense some life.
Booker was the bright light for the Gamecock offense in the loss. Entering Wednesday's game, Booker was averaging just 11.6 points per game despite playing around 25 minutes per game.
Booker finished the first half with 11 points while shooting 67 percent, plus an impressive 75 percent on three-pointers. He went on to finish the game with a career-high 25 points while shooting 67 percent from the field and 63 percent from behind the arc, along with making three rebounds and one steal.
Booker stepping up shouldn't be a shock to fans, as head coach Frank Martin knew it was coming. He said after the big win against Kentucky earlier in the month that Booker was one of three players who stepped up and became a leader.
The Gamecocks struggled on defense, which was clearly shown by Mississippi State shooting 52 percent. This was the ninth time this season that the team shot more than 50 percent. This was also the first time this season the Gamecocks lost a game while scoring at least 70 points.
South Carolina will look to bounce back on Saturday at Texas A&M, but the status of Minaya and Holden is still unclear. If they are both out, the Gamecocks will again look to Booker to step up and help get the team back on track.