After trailing Alabama 16 points at halftime, the No. 19/16 South Carolina men’s basketball team battled back to send the Crimson Tide into quadruple overtime.
But as fatigue set in and starters Chris Silva, Maik Kotsar and PJ Dozier fouled out, the Gamecocks were unable to capitalize on their open shots in the sixth period and fell 90-86 to Alabama at Colonial Life Arena Tuesday.
The Gamecocks experienced severe shooting struggles early on, as they shot 10 percent (3-of-30) from the field and trailed 32-16 at the end of the first half. USC head coach Frank Martin blamed himself for the Gamecocks’ poor shooting, saying he practiced his players too hard following their tough win against Georgia Saturday.
“I don’t think anyone can question the will to win that our kids showed, but we obviously couldn’t make an open shot and that’s a result of maybe some guys being a little tired," Martin said.
“Obviously, we had some tired guys out there and I’m not talking about the overtime. I’m talking about when the game started. That sits on one person’s head and that’s absolutely mine.”
Senior guard Sindarius Thornwell shot 0-of-8 from the field in the first half, but became a key component in the Gamecocks' comeback as he led the team with 44 points and 21 rebounds in 56 minutes of play. He set a USC program and SEC record for the most made free throws in a single game with 25.
As USC trailed 57-55 with 12 seconds of regulation remaining, Thornwell was responsible for sending the game into the first overtime. The 6-foot-5 guard charged into the lane, sinking a layup and drawing a foul to even the score at 57. While Thornwell missed the ensuing free throw, which could have won the game for USC, Martin said Thornwell was the reason the team was in that position in the first place.
“That’s a relentless pursuit of the rim. I wish more of our guys would attack the rim that way,” Martin said. “He single-handedly carried us in the second half and in the overtime. He gave us the courage to figure out a way to go win.”
In the final overtime, the Gamecocks took seven 3-point shots and missed all of them, allowing Alabama to build a four-point lead and sustain it. Both Thornwell and Martin defended the Gamecocks’ shot selection in the final period.
“You’re wide open you’ve got to shoot the basketball. It is what it is,” Martin said. “Guys are open. They’ve got to shoot the ball.”
“We had open shots, good shots. We had guys take them that would usually make shots for them,” Thornwell said. “It all goes with having a game, we’ll still let those guys shoot the ball. Hopefully, next time the ball goes in for us.”
Sophomore guard Avery Johnson Jr. led the Crimson Tide with a career-high 23 points and six rebounds off the bench. He shot 50 percent from behind the arc in 44 minutes of play.
Dozier was second in scoring for the Gamecocks. He compiled 21 points in 54 minutes of play.
The Gamecocks (19-5, 9-2 SEC) will try to bounce back from this loss Saturday, as they take on Mississippi State at Humphrey Coliseum at 8 p.m.