The South Carolina men’s basketball team fell to No. 17 Arkansas 108-74 on Wednesday night at Bud Walton Arena, as the Razorbacks controlled the game from start to finish.
Arkansas opened the scoring after winning the opening tip, as graduate forward Nick Pringle finished a dunk with an assist from freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. South Carolina answered on the next possession when graduate guard Myles Stute grabbed an offensive rebound and converted a tip-in layup to tie the game at 2-2.
The two teams traded baskets early, with redshirt senior guard Meechie Johnson scoring his first points on a driving layup. Senior guard Mike Sharavjamts then gave the Gamecocks their first lead with a 3-pointer off a pass from junior forward Elijah Strong, making it 7-6. Arkansas responded with a layup from senior forward Trevon Brazile off a turnover to regain the lead.
Turnovers became a factor midway through the opening half. Arkansas capitalized on several South Carolina miscues, converting steals into fast-break points from Acuff Jr. and senior forward Malique Ewin. Brazile knocked down a 3-pointer to extend the Razorbacks’ lead to 15-10.
South Carolina continued to generate second-chance opportunities, but Arkansas controlled the paint and the tempo. Ewin scored on consecutive possessions, including a dunk in transition, as the Razorbacks built a double-digit lead.
The Gamecocks attempted to close the gap behind interior scoring and perimeter shooting. Strong scored on a driving layup, and redshirt senior guard Kobe Knox connected on a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 31-21. Strong added a turnaround jumper and a 3-pointer during a short South Carolina run, trimming the margin to six.
Arkansas responded with perimeter shooting of its own. Freshman guard Meleek Thomas hit a 3-pointer, and the Razorbacks followed with a series of fast-break finishes to reestablish control. Despite a late 3-pointer from Johnson and a tip-in from freshman guard Eli Ellis, Arkansas closed the half with a dunk from Acuff Jr. to take a 50-38 lead into halftime.
The Razorbacks opened the second half with immediate pressure, scoring on a dunk by Pringle and a driving layup from junior guard D.J. Wagner. Stute responded with a 3-pointer for South Carolina, but Arkansas continued to push the pace. Acuff Jr. scored in the paint, and Thomas followed with a 3-pointer in transition to stretch the lead.
Turnovers again led to Arkansas points, as Thomas and Brazile converted fast-break opportunities to push the margin past 20. South Carolina scored in the paint through Strong and Johnson, but Arkansas answered nearly every basket.
Arkansas continued to build separation with a combination of transition baskets and 3-point shooting. Acuff Jr. knocked down a step-back jumper, Wagner finished a fast-break dunk and Thomas added another 3-pointer as the lead grew to 73-46.
The Gamecocks continued to compete offensively, with baskets from Ellis, freshman forward Hayden Assemian, and freshman forward EJ Walker, but Arkansas maintained control. Ewin finished an alley-oop dunk, and sophomore wing Karter Knox added a pull-up jumper to keep the Razorbacks ahead by more than 30.
South Carolina scored on second-chance opportunities and fast breaks, including baskets from Kobe Knox and senior forward Nordin Kapic in the final minutes. Arkansas closed the game with continued interior scoring and transition finishes, including an alley-oop dunk from Pringle to hand the Gamecocks a 108-74 loss.
What's next?
South Carolina will stay on the road to face the Auburn Tigers at Neville Arena on Jan. 17. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., and the game will be streamed on the SEC Network.