South Carolina men’s basketball (11-12, 2-8 SEC) fell 84-75 to Texas (14-9, 5-5 SEC) on Tuesday night at Moody Center in Austin, Texas, marking its fourth consecutive defeat.
South Carolina got off to a 4-0 lead after layups from freshman forward EJ Walker and graduate guard Myles Stute. Sophomore center Matas Vokietaitis then got Texas on the board with a pair of free throws.
The Gamecocks continued to build an early lead, with two free throws from redshirt senior guard Kobe Knox, giving South Carolina a 12-4 advantage. South Carolina found success early in the paint, with its first 10 points coming from the lane.
Texas, which started 1-10 from the field, scored the game’s first 3-pointer through junior guard Simeon Wilcher. Wilcher's three sparked an 8-0 run for the Longhorns, cutting what was a 16-7 South Carolina lead to 1.
Redshirt senior guard Meechie Johnson, who is the Gamecocks’ top scorer this season, scored his team’s next 7 points to give South Carolina a 23-17 lead.
A 3-pointer from Longhorns junior guard Dailyn Swain after a missed field goal from Vokietaitis tied the game at 23. South Carolina responded with free throws from junior forward Elijah Strong and Johnson to establish a 27-23 run, but Texas then grabbed its first lead of the night after a 5-0 run.
Two points from Johnson, who ended the first half with 15, ended a five-minute stretch without a field goal for the Gamecocks, but a 2-pointer from junior forward Camden Heide gave Texas a 35-31 lead heading into halftime. Texas ended the first half on an 18-8 run.
Texas opened the scoring in the second half with a 2-point jumper from Mark but South Carolina responded with two field goals from Walker and Strong to cut Texas’ lead to 2 points.
The Gamecocks struggled with turnovers early in the second frame, with Mark and Swain both scoring for the Longhorns off of South Carolina giveaways.
A 3-pointer from freshman guard Eli Ellis gave South Carolina the lead at 42-41. Swain continued his strong performance for Texas, however, with a 3-point play that gave Texas a 48-44 lead.
Texas maintained its lead as South Carolina missed multiple 3-point shots. A 2-point field goal from Johnson to tie the game at 50 was followed by consecutive 3-pointers from Heide to give the Longhorns a 6-point lead.
An and-one from Johnson, who hit his first seven free throws, cut the Texas lead to 59-55 with under nine minutes remaining in the game.
Johnson soon had another attempt at a 3-point play but missed his free throw. Texas responded with 2 points from Mark and a 3-pointer from senior guard Chendall Weaver, extending its lead to 66-59.
Field goals from Strong and a 3-point play from senior guard Mike Sharavjamts trimmed the Longhorns’ lead to 2, but an 8-2 run that included 4 points from Swain and Mark left South Carolina facing a 78-70 deficit.
Two late field goals from Johnson, who set a career high with 35 points on the night, were not enough for the Gamecocks, as they struggled to chip into a late deficit. Notably, the Gamecocks only had two threes on the night, ultimately falling 84-75.
What’s next?
The Gamecocks host Missouri Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Colonial Life Arena. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network as South Carolina looks to snap its losing streak.