LSU Defeats South Carolina, 92-87, in OT

Gamecock Sports,

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Mike Nwoko scored 21 points as LSU outlasted South Carolina 92-87 in overtime on Saturday.

LSU (14-8, 2-7 Southeastern Conference) outscored the Gamecocks 14-9 in overtime and went 21 of 25 from the free-throw line. Rashad King finished with 18 points for LSU, while Marquel Sutton added 16 points and eight rebounds. Max Mackinnon scored 15 points and recorded a season-high eight assists.

The Tigers struck first after going into halftime up one, but South Carolina answered with a surge midway through the second half. Elijah Strong and Eli Ellis hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Gamecocks a 56-52 lead, and South Carolina later built a five-point cushion with just over eight minutes remaining.

LSU responded with King converting a driving layup with 5:54 left and drilling a go-ahead 3-pointer 40 seconds later. After several late lead changes, Nwoko tied the game at 78 with a layup at the 1:39 mark, and neither team scored again before the horn.

LSU took control in overtime at the free-throw line. King and Pablo Tamba combined to go 8 of 8 from the stripe in the extra period, and Mackinnon sealed it with a 23-foot-3-pointer with 21 seconds remaining.

Meechie Johnson led South Carolina with 21 points and six assists. Kobe Knox scored 15 points, and Ellis added 14 off the bench.

KEY STATS

  • LSU finished with 23 assists on 31 made field goals while shooting 51.7% (31-of-60) from the floor and 40.9% (9-of-22) from behind the arc.
  • There were eight lead changes and seven ties, all occurring in the second half and overtime.
  • The Gamecocks entered today the No. 1 free throw shooting team in the SEC (5th nationally). Carolina was 22-of-31 (71.0%) at the foul line against the Tigers.

NOTABLES

  • Redshirt senior Meechie Johnson finished with 21 points, his eighth consecutive game in double figures and his team-leading 16th game this season with 10 or more points. It’s his sixth 20-point game of the season (20th career).
  • Johnson also led the team with six assists, his 11th game this season (28th career) with five or more helpers.
  • He made his first sixth free throws today marking 29-straight foul shots made in game action dating back to the 2:05 mark in the second half of the team’s win over OU back on Jan. 20. Johnson finished the game 9-of-11 at the free throw line.
  • Alongside Johnson’s 21 points, four more Gamecocks finished in double figures: Kobe Knox (15), Eli Ellis (14), Elijah Strong (12) and Mike Sharavjamts (11).
  • Sharavjamts chipped in a team-high six rebounds while Strong and Johnson each added five boards apiece.
  • Strong’s team-high three steals today were a new career high mark.
  • Carolina’s record now drops to 20-2 the last four seasons under head coach Lamont Paris when scoring 80 or more points. Both losses were in home overtime games this season (Virginia Tech back on Dec. 2 and today).
  • The start time for today’s game was moved up from 6 p.m. (ET) to 1 p.m. with TV coverage switching over to SEC Network+ due to inclement winter weather in the Columbia area.

UP NEXT
South Carolina hits the road and heads to Austin for just the second time in program history (first matchup was Jan. 23, 1982) to face Texas (13-9, 4-5 SEC) on Tuesday. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. (ET) with Roy Philpott (pxp) and Daymeon Fishback (analyst) on the call for the SEC Network broadcast.

Categories: Sports, USC Gamecocks

Related Posts