The South Carolina men’s basketball team was defeated 75-65 by the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, losing its final game of the regular season.
The Volunteers jumped out to an early 5-0 lead to start the game, however, South Carolina kept it close throughout the first five minutes.
When the game slowed down, the Gamecocks struggled to score inside the paint and the Volunteers widened its lead to 23-13.
Graduate forward Nick Pringle scored 9 points in the first half to help South Carolina cut the Tennessee lead down to one. Senior guard Jamarii Thomas also contributed to help put the Gamecocks up 28-27 with two minutes left in the first half.
Thomas then scored 3 additional points and assisted redshirt freshman Arden Conyers' three-pointer to maintain the lead for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina battled with Tennessee over the last two minutes of the opening half and ended the half tied 34-34 with Tennessee. Both teams struggled to shoot from the three-point line with Tennessee shooting 4-14(28.6%) and the Gamecocks shooting 5-21(23.8%) from beyond the arc.
South Carolina started the second half strong but the largest lead they could manage was 2 points. Fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier scored on a layup to give Tennessee a 43-41 lead six minutes into the second half.
In the first half, the Volunteer offense had a balanced attack with senior forward Igor Milicic leading the team with 8 points. In the second half, the Volunteers were led by Lanier who scored 20 of the 41 points Tennessee made in the second half including a 9-0 run from the senior guard.
Tennessee continued to gain momentum and scored two transition baskets to expand the lead to 12 with five minutes remaining in the game.
From that point on, the Volunteers maintained the double digit lead to allow Tennessee to win 75-65 against the Gamecocks.
Success at the free throw line
While the Gamecocks struggled today at the three-point line, a comfort they had all game was at the free throw line.
The Gamecocks this season have shot 71.2% at the free throw line this season. South Carolina shot better than its season average today at 77.3%.
The team's hustle and lack of fear competing for rebounds and driving into crowded lanes helped them get calls and stall the Volunteers’ momentum in the first half. South Carolina overall shot from the line at a higher level, 77.3% compared to Tennessee's 42.9%.
Jamarii Thomas and Nick Pringle never gave up
Since sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles struggled, other players had to step up to give the Gamecocks a chance, and Jamarii Thomas and Nick Pringle did that every step of the way.
In the first half, while the rest of the team struggled from the three, Thomas made three of the Gamecocks’ five three-pointers and had two assists. Even when the game seemed to be a lost cause, he was driving to the basket and taking difficult shots.
He finished the game with 20 points and four assists despite the loss.
Pringle also performed well and finished with a double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds. He was second in scoring and led the team in rebounds. Pringle's 14 rebounds was a season high to end the regular season on a high note.
Dominated in the paint
The Gamecocks have struggled this season to find success from beyond the arc and relied on points in the paint to score a majority of their points. This game, the Gamecocks struggled to find success from the three-point line and from inside the paint.
South Carolina shot 20-57(35%) from the field and 8-36(22%) from the three-point line. Meanwhile, the Volunteers found success in the paint and outscored the Gamecocks 42-24 in the category.
The ability for the Volunteers to find points in the paint led them to shoot well from the field. Tennessee finished the game shooting over 50% from the field despite their inability to score efficiently from the three-point line.
What's next?
The South Carolina men's basketball team play against Arkansas in the first round of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday. The game will tip off at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on SEC Network.