The South Carolina men's basketball team lost another close one at home Wednesday night, as Mississippi State left with the 81-76 win. The game wasn't the only crucial thing the Gamecocks lost, as injuries continue to be a bother.
Fans were starting to file into Colonial Life Arena when it was announced that Justin Minaya would miss the game with a right ankle sprain. Kory Holden was also still out with a hamstring injury, and no update or timetable was given on either player.
This was the first time South Carolina lost a game that they scored 70 or more points in all season. A big contributor was that Mississippi State shot just under 52 percent from the field, marking only the ninth time they had shot over 50 percent all season. Despite the Bulldogs' accurate shooting, the game was close throughout with the largest lead being just nine points.
The Gamecocks' loss was their third straight at home, all of which were close in the final minutes. Frank Booker called these last few games "very frustrating," saying that it is little things that are causing them to lose these close games.
The Gamecocks missed eight of their last 10 shots. When they hit their cold spell, it was a one-point game with over six minutes to play. Martin said he needed to coach them better down the stretch.
"If you're not disciplined in one-possession games in the last four minutes of the game, you can't win," Martin said.
With Minaya unavailable, Booker stepped up and set a career high in points with 25 while tying his season high in minutes at 34. He made eight of 12 shots from the field and shot 63 percent from behind the three-point arc. Chris Silva added 18 points and shot 77 percent from the foul line. Silva thinks he needs to work on his finishing at the rim, as he made just four of his seven shots from the field.
"I got to do a better job of finishing the basket once I [get] the defender in the air," Silva said.
With the loss, the Gamecocks now drop below .500 in SEC play (4-5) and sit at 13-9 overall. Next, they travel to Texas A&M on Saturday to start a quick road trip.