The South Carolina men's basketball team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 77-64 in a complete showing Saturday afternoon, bouncing back from its loss against Georgia last Tuesday.
"I thought it was a great team effort by our guys," head coach Lamont Paris said. "In terms of just everybody contributed. Guys came in for three or four minutes even and really did some good stuff, had some really good energy that they brought to the team."
The Gamecocks controlled the first half of the game on all facets. The team was efficient on offense, moving the ball swiftly and playing unselfishly to result in open and easy scoring opportunities.
Physicality and hustle were key to the Gamecocks' first-half success, as South Carolina out-rebounded Arkansas 23-12.
Graduate forward B.J. Mack led the way for the Gamecocks' offense in the first half, scoring 12 points, 9 of which came from behind the arc.
"The spacing on the floor takes care of itself if he's gonna make 3's," Paris said. "You got to make some decisions in the ball screen on what you're gonna do, and then you see he's able to also, with a smaller guy or even bigger guys, do some around the basket. He's proficient. So it's a, it really energizes our team if early in the game he makes a couple of 3's. I think it really gets us going."
The Gamecocks' defense also stifled many chances for the Razorbacks. Arkansas junior guard Tramon Mark, who scored 35 points in the Razorbacks' recent game against Texas A&M, was held to only 2 points in the first half against the Gamecocks. The Gamecocks efficient offensive and defensive first-half display cruised the team to a 39-27 lead heading into halftime.
The second half was a very similar story to the first for the Gamecocks. South Carolina did not let up against Arkansas, as the Gamecocks' lowest lead of the second half was 7 points. The team continued to answer Arkansas offensively and did not allow its opponent to get back into the game.
The Gamecocks' defense continued to stifle the Razorbacks' chances during the second half. The Gamecocks held the Razorbacks to shooting 37.1% from the field and 27.8% from three, compared to South Carolina's 51.9% from the field and 50% from three. The Razorbacks only offensive threat in the second half was Mark, who finished the game with 18 points and was the only Razorback to reach double-figures.
"We're trying really hard," Paris said. "I mean really, really hard in our one-on-one situations. We're trying to follow defensive rules as hard, as best we can. I think our commitment to those things has been as good as I've seen in a long time."
The Gamecocks' offense accumulated 20 assists out of 28 made shots from the field.
Mack continued to be a driving force for the Gamecocks on offense in the second half. He finished the game with 18 points and nine rebounds on a very efficient 6-10 from the field.
Graduate student guard Ta'Lon Cooper and sophomore guard Zachary Davis also played key roles in South Carolina's overall success.
Cooper was a 3-point threat, scoring 11 points, 9 of which from 3-point range on 3-3 shooting. He also made five assists.
Davis picked up a starting role this game after normal starter junior guard Myles Stute was out due to a shoulder injury picked up against Georgia. Davis stepped up in Stute's absence, contributing 12 points and four rebounds as well as playing well on defense, which Davis has done all season for South Carolina.
The victory moves the Gamecocks to 15-3 on the season and 3-2 in conference play. This is the second straight road victory in conference play for the Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks will head back to Colonial Life Arena to face its toughest opponent of the season so far on Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. when the team takes on the No. 8 Kentucky. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.