South Carolina men's basketball fell short to the LSU Tigers on Tuesday night in an 81-67 loss at Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to extend its now 13-game losing streak.
South Carolina would go back and forth in the early minutes of the first half, but the Tigers would quickly widen the lead on transition layups and easy baskets.
These fast-break plays, as well as strong drive and kick passes to get open 3-pointers, helped LSU determine the speed of the game and maintain its lead over the Gamecocks. Overall, LSU had 9 fast break points and forced 18 turnovers as well.
In the second half, the Gamecocks attacked the basket with more aggression, scoring 28 points in the paint and also out-rebounded the Tigers in both offensive and defensive rebounds.
Sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles led the team with 10 rebounds while also putting up 16 points to get his seventh double-double of the season.
Another aspect where the Tigers outperformed South Carolina was in bench scoring. LSU had four players to come off the bench and score at least 4 points, while the Gamecocks had three players but only redshirt freshman guard Arden Conyers was able to score multiple times as he finished with 9 points.
South Carolina was able to score 40 points overall within the second half, however, the Tigers were able to match and scored 40 points as well. Yet regardless of its improved game after halftime, the Gamecocks still came up short, losing 81-67.
Gamecocks' offense can't keep pace
The Tigers shot 50% overall but shot a 57.1% average in the first half spearheading its early dominance over the Gamecocks, giving the team a 41-27 lead at halftime.
On the Gamecocks' offensive side, it struggled to get quality looks at the basket as the Tigers were able to force 18 turnovers from South Carolina and scored 23 points off of the Gamecocks' turnovers.
South Carolina would only lead for 15 seconds tonight after it scored the opening basket, with the Tigers remaining in control of the game for the remaining 38 minutes and 45 seconds of regulation.
Thomas has big second half
Senior guard Jamarii Thomas led the team with 23 points —the only other player other than Murray-Boyles to score in the double figures.
With his 3 3-point baskets, three assists and one steal and block, he was able to impact the game in a lot of ways for Gamecocks. Thomas was a big factor in the team's second-half success on offense, in which he scored 19 of his 23 total points.
South Carolina defense struggles
The Gamecocks overall struggled to stop the Tigers on fast-break plays, allowing them to score an additional 9 points while the Gamecocks finished with just 2.
South Carolina is currently averaging 13.8 turnovers per game in conference play, which ranks first in the league. On the season, it also has a near-even ratio of turnovers to assists of 12.9 and 12.8, respectively.
What's next?
South Carolina will be back home at Colonial Life Arena this Saturday to take on the Texas Longhorns. The game will tip off at 8:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.