Senior Malik Cooke collects 1,000th collegiate point
On an afternoon where Malik Cooke surpassed the mark of 1,000 career points, the Gamecocks’ lone senior was only concerned with the team’s failure to earn a win.
“I guess it feels good. I don’t know,” said Cooke. “I guess it’s a good accomplishment, but it would have been nicer if we got the win tonight — for sure.”
South Carolina made a couple of late runs that kept the game interesting, but ultimately came up short against LSU, falling 68-58.
USC coach Darrin Horn praised the veteran, speaking about his reliability and guidance of an otherwise young and inexperienced team.
“I think in a word — steady,” said Horn. “It speaks to his consistency. I think that he has been that for us this year. Especially in a difficult season, where [there are] a lot of challenges, and not as many wins as you want. He’s really focused on, and done a great job of leading these guys, and being vocal, and setting a tone every day. I think he’s been really outstanding with that.”
Needing only six points coming in to Saturday’s matchup against LSU (16-10, 6-6), Cooke reached the milestone midway through the second half on a 3-pointer to an albeit small, but appreciative crowd that acknowledged the achievement.
The Tigers’ offense production picked up in significantly in the second half, building a 12-point lead with dominating post play. The Gamecocks (10-16, 2-10) have had a habit of poor second half showings, but they didn’t fold easily.
A steal by Lakeem Jackson led to a fast break dunk by Brenton Williams, cutting the lead to two. At first the play had the Colonial Life Arena rocking, however to the audible dismay of fans, a technical foul was called on Williams for hanging on the rim.
“I didn’t really see it,” said Horn. “I had no idea what happened. I was kind of on to the next play. I thought that they had called timeout, and had to be told they made the call.”
Even LSU coach Trent Johnson was surprised by the call. “College basketball is an emotional game,” Johnson said. “I’ve seen enough technical fouls called on dunks — I don’t know, I don’t understand it.”
The Tiger’s proceeded to go on a 10-2 run after the foul, though Cooke responded with three consecutive 3-pointers to keep the Gamecocks alive.
“Coach called my number,” Cooke said. “He has a lot of confidence in me and my shooting ability, even when I don’t for myself sometimes. He just told me to keep shooting, and my teammates did a great job of getting me the ball on those possessions.”
Down the stretch, the Tigers were able to establish themselves inside, which freshman Anthony Gill attributed to a physical mismatch. “I think it was a big size difference, but I think we definitely did our best,” Gill said. “There were some opportunities we could have took to crash the boards more, but we just have to capitalize on that in our next game and work hard in practice.”
For Johnson, his team’s physical advantage was something that he’d emphasized in preparation for the Gamecocks.
“For us I thought it was a matter of reading it in the half court game, and pounding it in there in the paint, and I thought we’d have a chance,” he said.
In a season where the Gamecocks haven’t been able to find a rhythm, the frustration seems to have set in.
“We need to stop making excuses for ourselves,” Cooke said. “Take some accountability and some pride in what we do.”