What A Finish! USC Edges Ole Miss 60-58

NASHVILLE, TENN. (USC SID) — It was a finish few Gamecock fans will ever forget, as a trio of Tyrone Johnson free throws with seven-tenths of a second remaining in regulation gave Carolina a 60-58 win over Ole Miss Thursday night in the second round of the SEC Tournament. Mere seconds after the win was seemingly snatched away by a clutch four-point play by Jarvis Summers, Johnson was fouled just over half court while attempting what would have been a buzzer-beating heave. The senior guard, despite sitting with foul trouble down the home stretch, coolly sank all three attempts to steal a major upset and punch a ticket to the quarterfinal round. While Johnson’s dead-eye performance will be the headline across the country, it was also the effort of Michael Carrera (16 points) and Duane Notice (15) that would carry a sluggish offense to victory. The win moves Carolina to 17-15, while Ole Miss drops back to 20-12. Though neither team would shoot well from the field in the first half, it would be Carolina’s hustle that would make the difference as it jumped out to an early lead. After allowing the game’s first basket, the Gamecocks went on a 10-0 run while forcing Ole Miss into eight straight missed field goals. Michael Carrera again shined in the first half, one-upping his Wednesday night performance of 12 points with 13 points in the first half alone against the Rebels. He made his first four shots from the field and added three rebounds in 13 minutes of playing time in the opening half. Ole Miss would not fold despite the immense defensive pressure applied by Carolina. Forcing 15 turnovers in just the first 20 minutes, the Gamecock defense also held the Rebels to just 5-of-21 shooting through the first 17 minutes of play. Its lead would get to 10 points, 26-16, with 2:54 to go, but Ole Miss hit three straight baskets to draw within three heading into halftime, similar to Missouri’s rally the night before. Carolina closed the half just 2-of-14 on field goals in the final eight minutes. Both teams struggled mightily in the second half, combining to hit just 17-of-57 attempts. Ole Miss would score first to cut it to a 27-26 game, but a 12-4 Carolina run over the next two minutes would stake them a comfortable lead. It would not last, as the Rebels countered with an 11-3 run of their own to keep in contention, and capped a 15-5 stretch to take their first lead since the start of the game, 45-44 with six minutes left. The lead would be batted back and forth, but neither side would lead by more than one possession, setting up the memorable finish. Ironically enough, the Gamecocks free throw shooting nearly cost them the game, as they missed three attempts in the final 30 seconds that would have potentially sealed the win.