South Carolina men’s basketball couldn’t derail No. 12 Florida’s six-game win streak at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida, Tuesday night, losing 76-62.
Senior guard Meechie Johnson put the Gamecocks on the board first, scoring inside the opening minute. South Carolina briefly held a 3-point advantage, its only lead of the first half, for just 1:05 before Florida answered.
The Gators settled in behind strong interior play from junior center Rueben Chinyelu and sophomore guard Boogie Fland, while junior forward Thomas Haugh knocked down a 3-pointer to help build a 7-point lead that Florida maintained for nearly four minutes. The early run set the tone as Florida began to control the paint and tempo.
Johnson later sank his first 3-pointer to halt a Florida push, but the Gators immediately answered back with a 3-pointer of their own from senior guard Xaivian Lee to keep the momentum on their side. Midway through the half, junior forward Alex Condon threw down an alley-oop that pushed the lead into double digits for the first time.
The Gamecocks continued to battle. Senior guard Mike Sharavjamts connected from beyond the arc, and junior forward Elijah Strong added a dunk at the 7:38 mark to stay within striking distance. Still, Florida capitalized at key moments. Condon converted a pair of free throws at 6:12 to make it 31-17.
Senior guard Kobe Knox scored his first points with a pull-up jumper. On the next possession, redshirt junior forward Christ Essandoko chipped in with a dunk to keep it close at 35-29.
A late driving layup from Lee with two seconds remaining capped the half, sending Florida into the locker room with a 39-29 advantage.
South Carolina opened the second half with urgency, as Strong connected on a jumper just 10 seconds in. The quick bucket was answered almost immediately, with Condon finishing a layup 17 seconds later to keep Florida comfortably in front.
The Gators soon stretched the margin to 15 at the 17:27 mark, capitalizing on defensive pressure and transition opportunities. Johnson sliced through the lane for a driving layup to cut it to 46-35, and Knox added a jumper, his fourth points of the night, to briefly steady the Gamecocks.
Florida responded once again. At 15:16, Condon converted a layup off a Sharavjamts turnover, igniting another push. Lee followed with a driving layup to make it 50-37, and a steal by sophomore guard Isaiah Brown stalled any momentum South Carolina was building.
Johnson knocked down both free throws at 11:55 to trim the deficit to 55-41, but the Gators countered with 5 straight points to reestablish control. Knox broke up the run with a layup. Haugh then buried another 3-pointer as Florida continued to capitalize on clean looks.
South Carolina found points at the line, with Johnson adding three more free throws, and senior guard Eli Sparkman connected from beyond the arc with 1:54 remaining, his second basket of the season. Essandoko rocked the rim with a second-chance dunk late, but Florida secured the final possession with an offensive rebound from freshman guard CJ Ingram to close out the win.
Florida’s early control and timely second-half responses kept South Carolina at arm’s length, as the Gators methodically closed out another win to extend their streak.
What's next?
The Gamecocks (11-15, 2-11 SEC) will face the Mississippi State Bulldogs (12-13, 4-8 SEC) Saturday at 1 pm at Colonial Life Arena. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.