Winner, winner: South Carolina MBB outlasts Missouri in overtime for SEC victory
Ta’Lon Cooper has taken the pressure off the Gamecocks before this season. And his 3-pointer against Missouri with 19 seconds left in regulation Saturday was the shot in the arm USC needed all game. South Carolina was 6 for 22 from the arc, and Meechie Johnson had been silenced all afternoon.
It took just one look for Cooper to play hero ball and send the game into overtime. Just like that, the turnovers and slow shooting quickly improved and the Gamecocks earned a much-needed road win over the Tigers, 71-69, and head home 14-2 overall and 2-1 in SEC play.
No problems with free basketball
South Carolina hadn’t played a single overtime game this season. It played four last year, three in SEC play, and was 1-3 (0-3 SEC).
This year, the Gamecocks’ first round of extra basketball ends with a win.
Even though USC struggled with turnovers, less-than-stellar shooting and didn’t have Johnson’s high-scoring numbers against the Tigers, the Gamecocks persevered through the additional five minutes.
Jacobi Wright crossed into double figures with his winning shot with just 13 seconds left in overtime. Zach Davis filled in for Johnson in the lineup. Gamecocks coach Lamont Paris put Collin Murray-Boyles back in the lineup for the final possession.
Every basket that fell, the South Carolina bench stood up. The Gamecocks played their best game in those five minutes, when it mattered most. Now they get to enjoy a 2-1 SEC record and go home a little bit happier.
Murray-Boyles gets the nod
Paris made the switch from Stephen Clark to freshman Murray-Boyles in the starting lineup against the Tigers, marking Murray-Boyles’ first career start.
Murray-Boyles scored the first bucket of the game and finished with six points and six rebounds for a plus-1 rating and 26 minutes.
Paris hadn’t made a change in his bigs all season up until Saturday afternoon. Relying on BJ Mack and Clark to set the tone, physicality in the paint has boded well for the Gamecocks through their first 15 games.
Murray-Boyles stayed out of foul trouble for most of the game, with only two personal fouls against the Tigers. He, Mack and Myles Stute still played the majority of the forward minutes, with Clark subbing in periodically.
Turnovers weren’t good, but look past it
In a game that presented a bounce-back opportunity after a blowout loss to Alabama, USC had multiple opportunities to flush away its issues Saturday afternoon against Missouri.
Sixteen South Carolina turnovers made it a little bit harder. The Tigers were regaining possession 25% of the time in the first half.
Thankfully for USC, Missouri scored only 13 points off 13 turnovers midway through the second half. The damage could have been significantly worse.
Even with the 16 total turnovers, South Carolina never trailed by more than two possessions. The Gamecocks had the longest run of the game, 7-0 in the opening minutes.
It was USC’s second straight game with at least 16 turnovers, nearly tying the season high. Despite the statistics sheet highlighting USC’s missteps, the Gamecocks had four scorers in double figures. Saturday was Mack’s first game scoring in double figures in nearly a month. Wright reached double figures in SEC play for the first time this season.
Other notable stats
- Mack had 21 points against Missouri, his first double-figure points game since playing Charleston Southern on Dec. 16.
- USC’s win was the second all-time victory over the Tigers in Mizzou Arena in eight years, and snaps a three-year losing streak to Missouri.
- Wright’s 11 points were his first double-digit scoring night since his 10-point game against Elon on Dec. 22.
Next four games
- Tuesday vs. Georgia, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
- Jan. 20 at Arkansas, 1 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Jan. 23 vs. Kentucky, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Jan. 27 vs. Missouri, 1 p.m. (SEC Network)
This story was originally published January 13, 2024 at 5:51 PM.
