The South Carolina men's basketball team fell 70-69 to No. 5 Florida on Wednesday night to remain winless in conference play.
The Gamecocks (10-9, 0-6 SEC) gave up the lead in the final seconds when Florida senior guard Will Richard made a driving layup over sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles. With time running out, senior guard Jacobi Wright missed a game-winning three-point attempt, clinching the win for Florida.
"Tough game for the guys," head coach Lamont Paris said. "We played well enough to win the game, simple as that. There's not a whole lot more to say about that."
South Carolina quickly jumped out to an 11-4 lead thanks to 7 early points from Murray-Boyles. Midway through the first half, the Gators tied the game at 16-16 after a dunk by fifth-year guard Alijah Martin. But the Gamecocks quieted Florida's run when redshirt freshman guard Arden Conyers made a three. Conyers finished the first half with 6 points.
South Carolina dominated Florida down low in the opening half with 20 points in the paint. Murray-Boyles posted 11 points and five assists in the first half, while fifth-year forward Nick Pringle added 6 points.
With around four minutes to go in the first half, the Gamecocks took a 32-22 lead thanks to a three-pointer by sophomore guard Morris Ugusuk. South Carolina led 36-29 at halftime.
The Gamecocks' lead grew to nine to start the second half when junior guard Zachary Davis made a pair of three-pointers. After South Carolina took a 52-38 advantage, Florida's defense began to disorganize South Carolina. In the final 12 minutes of the game, the Gamecocks committed 11 turnovers allowing the Gators to score 15 points off turnovers in the second half.
After a made three-pointer by Davis gave the Gamecocks a 68-63 lead with around a minute to go, Florida made it a two-point game when Richard responded with a three.
Another South Carolina turnover was followed by two free throws from Martin, tying the game at 68-68. On the next possession, Davis was fouled and went one-for-two from the line, giving the Gamecocks a one-point lead. After Richard's layup, the Gamecocks had a chance to win the game, but failed to score on their final possession.
"Typically I like to play in the broken floor," Paris said. "Maybe we hadn't practiced that enough, but as we touched the ball in my head I looked at 4.5 seconds. I think you need to be on a mission to get to the rim. Run someone over if you need to."
Mistakes doom Gamecocks
South Carolina struggled to protect the basketball against Florida, committing 15 turnovers in the game, leading to 22 Florida points. In the past three games, South Carolina has committed 56 turnovers.
"We have to handle it better," Paris said. "Guys have been playing basketball since how long? You have to be able to handle some pressure. I'll look at it again. Maybe ,based on some of the turnovers we've had in other games, we should've spent more time on it."
After Richard's three made it a two-point game, South Carolina committed another turnover, leading to two free throws by Martin. Paris said the Gamecocks should've used a timeout on the play.
"It's game time. You've got to play," Paris said. "We gotta be able to find a guy or use a timeout. We had a timeout. We've just got to handle it better."
Davis has career night
Despite the loss, the Gamecocks got a nice performance from Davis. Davis, an Orangeburg, South Carolina, native, made his fifth straight start of the season Wednesday night, finishing with 22 points on 9-18 shooting. The veteran guard also added five rebounds and four assists.
"I'm not even worried about this game," Davis said. "Just on to the next game. We've got practice tomorrow and gotta get ready for the game Saturday. We've got stuff to clean up."
Another close defeat
Wednesday's loss to the Gators keeps South Carolina winless in conference play. After facing the nation's No. 5 team, the road won't get any easier. Five of South Carolina's next six games are against AP Top 25 opponents, capped with a return matchup against the Gators on Feb. 15. Paris said his team must focus on the next game.
"Certainly I worry about it," Paris said. "I think every coach would acknowledge that. I've heard it from a variety of different coaches, that you have to be able to do that no matter who you think you are. We haven't won a game yet."
What's next?
South Carolina continues its home streak on Saturday against No. 14 Mississippi State (15-4, 3-3 SEC). Tip-off from Colonial Life Arena is at 1 p.m., and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.