The South Carolina men’s basketball team lost 86-55 against the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals Friday afternoon in Nashville, Tennessee.
"Auburn's got a really good team. They're aggressive. They feed off of energy and momentum," head coach Lamont Paris said. "They played well. They competed really hard. Our guys competed, we just didn't play well today, and at this time of year, that means that they make you go home. So hats off to them, but I am proud of what our guys have accomplished."
Both teams traded baskets at the start of the game, much like they did when they faced off earlier this season on Feb. 14. Auburn went on to win that game 101-61.
As the game progressed, the Tigers would go on lengthy scoring runs to keep the lead out of the Gamecocks' reach. Auburn broke off a 13-0 scoring run midway through the first quarter and another 11-1 run at the end of the first half to take a 46-26 lead into the break.
Graduate student guard Ta’Lon Cooper shot 2-2 from 3-point range and 2-4 from the free throw line overall. Cooper would play just four minutes in the second half, going scoreless during that stretch to finish the game with 8 points.
South Carolina continued to fight, but Auburn’s defense was too much to handle, holding the Gamecocks to a season-low 16 made field goals. South Carolina had a similarly poor shooting performance during their matchup in February, where it went just 18-52 (34.6%) from the floor.
"They really try to pressure the ball. That's really their main thing for them — try to rattle you by getting all up in your face and just pressuring the ball a lot, trying to be more physical," graduate student forward B.J. Mack said. "That's really something that they're known for and that they try to do to get you out your game."
After scoring 19 points in Thursday's win over Arkansas, Mack led the team in scoring this game with 14 points. Most of those points came from the free-throw line, where he went a perfect 8-8.
South Carolina’s missed field goals came in a variety of ways, including from close range. The team struggled to shoot in the paint and missed 19 layups.
The Gamecocks also shot just 3-12 (25%) from behind the arc, tying a season-low for made 3-pointers. Friday's loss marked the sixth time this season that the team has shot 30% or worse from three in a game it did not win.
The Tigers capitalized on 10 South Carolina turnovers, which directly led to 17 points. But the Gamecocks scored just 2 points from Auburn's turnovers.
Sophomore guard Zachary Davis delivered an improved performance since his last game against the Tigers, where he only managed 1 point. Davis scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds — one shy from tying his career-high — in Friday's game.
Like his teammates, freshman forward Collin Murray-Boyles struggled on offense, going just 1-9 from the field with 4 points. He shined, however, on the defensive end of the floor by blocking four shots to tie his career-high.
Junior guard Jacobi Wright said the Gamecocks will not linger on the loss and will continue preparing for the NCAA Tournament.
"I've been on the other side of the bubble where this is your season ends here, so it feels good to know we have some season left, and we're going to keep our heads up and look forward to figuring out where we play at and getting ready to work towards that," Wright said.
South Carolina will learn its NCAA Tournament seed and first-round opponent during CBS' Selection Sunday broadcast, which will air on the network Sunday at 6 p.m.