James Reese OT buzzer-beater lifts Gamecocks over Ole Miss. What we learned
With March a couple weeks away, the margin for error is getting thinner and thinner.
The South Carolina men’s basketball team (15-10, 6-7 SEC) needs every win it can get down the stretch for a chance at the postseason, and on Tuesday night the Gamecocks had to fight extra for it.
Host Ole Miss (12-14, 3-10) matched USC blow for blow, sending the game into overtime. But the Gamecocks won in miraculous fashion, with Jermaine Couisnard inbounding the ball with just two seconds left, and guard James Reese making a last-second Hail Mary 3-pointer from just inside half court, giving the Gamecocks a 77-74 overtime win.
“I work on half-court shots literally every day,” Reese said after the game. “And I just happened to be in that position and I just shot it the way we were shooting every day, and it went in.
“The emotions that I felt, it was just crazy, because I honestly was thinking about it right before ... we went into overtime. I was just thinking somebody’s gonna have to make a big shot.”
The Gamecocks have just five regular-season games remaining before the SEC tournament, beginning with a home game against LSU on Saturday.
Sloppy basketball for both teams
With a banged-up Ole Miss team riding a three-game losing streak and the Gamecocks losing three of their last four, neither team came into the night hot.
It showed.
The Rebels and Gamecocks combined for more turnovers (22) than field goals (21) in a chippy first half where neither team shot better than 38%.
The Gamecocks led for 16:30 minutes of the half yet couldn’t create any separation. After leading by as much as seven points, the Gamecocks succumbed to turnovers and allowed Ole Miss to go on a 15-7 run and take a one-point lead into halftime.
Turnovers have been an issue for USC throughout the season. While the Gamecocks had cut down on them of late, a series of turnovers — many of them unforced — helped the Rebels climb into the game. Ole Miss scored 14 points off of 15 USC turnovers for the game.
Bryant and Carter stay hot
No player on South Carolina has been hotter than Keyshawn Bryant, who followed an 18-point effort against Kentucky with a season-high 22 points at Georgia. He kept up the pace in Oxford, where he scored seven of USC’s first nine points, punctuated by a one-handed put-back slam. He finished with 16 points.
Freshman Devin Carter has developed into another key scorer for the Gamecocks. Much like Bryant, he scores through sheer athleticism and explosion to the rim. After scoring 21 points off the bench at Georgia, Carter continued to make his presence felt, exploding toward the hoop, drawing contact and make his free throws. He made a team-high six free throws on nine attempts, finishing with 16 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
“Ole Miss guards get after it, and (Carter) was getting the ball in the paint and creating opportunities for others and himself,” Martin said. “Four assists, zero turnovers, I think he had 11 rebounds, defended his tail off as a freshman. He will be a heck of a player. Players on our team respect and love him.”
While Bryant and Carter stayed hot, they didn’t receive as much help from their supporting cast — until at the very end.
Clutch shooting leads to late thrills
The Gamecocks struggled to shoot the ball from the perimeter for the majority of the contest, making just two of 12 attempts until the final moments of the second half.
But with the game on the line, the Gamecocks turned to sharp-shooting senior guard Erik Stevenson, who made both the game-tying 3-pointer and the go-ahead 3-pointer in the last 90 seconds of the game en route to a team-high 17 points.
But the Rebels found some clutch shooting of their own in the form of veteran guard Jarkel Joiner, who scored the game-tying bucket with 1.7 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime.
No shot, of course, rivaled Reese’s last-ditch heave from half court, which sent the Gamecocks spilling onto the court from the bench and celebrating their second-straight win. Reese had missed his other five 3-point attempts on the night.
“I think this shows the growth of this team,” Stevenson said. “I think that growth that we’ve actually had showed up tonight. I’m just happy for Reese, man. That’s big time.”
Next USC men’s basketball game
Who: South Carolina vs. LSU
When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia
Watch: SEC Network
This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 9:26 PM.
