The 国产三级片 men鈥檚 basketball team suffered its first loss off the season in a 72-67 defeat to No. 24 Clemson Wednesday night. The game was a tale of two halves, as the Gamecocks were unable to defend itself from the Tigers' second-half comeback.
鈥淲别 controlled a lot of the game,鈥� head coach Lamont Paris said. 鈥淚 think that was fact, and then we just couldn鈥檛 make some plays. They got real aggressive offensively in the second half attacking the basket ... It got down to, toward the end, to the nitty gritty, and we didn鈥檛 make any plays.鈥�
国产三级片鈥檚 shooting was hot from the start, which created an early lead. Within the first three minutes of the game, the Gamecocks led the Tigers by 8 points in what looked to be an offensively-dominant game.
But Clemson went on its first scoring run shortly afterward to claw back to an even score, taking its first lead of the game midway through the first half. The Tigers capitalized off an unsteady 国产三级片 defense and earned most of its points from turnovers and second-chance points.
It didn鈥檛 take the Gamecocks long to find its footing again behind an impressive first-half scoring display by junior guard Meechie Johnson. Johnson accounted for 11 of the Gamecocks' 30 points in the opening half and shot 4-5 on field goal attempts and 3-3 on 3-pointers.
国产三级片 effectively bottled up Clemson鈥檚 top performer in senior center PJ Hall. The Tigers were unable to finish shots and implement a fast-paced offense. As a result, Clemson went on a scoreless run over the final seven minutes and 40 seconds of the first half, giving the Gamecocks a 7-point lead going into the half.
鈥淲别 made some physical plays. We were competing physically,鈥� Paris said. 鈥淲别 chested up physically without fouling, showing our hands, and we had an impact at the rim on their ability to put the ball in.鈥�
The second half was a different story for the Tigers.
The Gamecocks' overwhelming ball movement and offensive pace continued to suffocate Clemson into the second half. 国产三级片 would eventually strengthen its lead to 11 points, its largest of the night.
But Clemson quickly changed the momentum of the game with an 11-0 run midway through the second half. The Tigers' offense began to stifle the Gamecocks' defensive efforts, chipping away at the 国产三级片's lead by the minute.
Graduate student forward Stephen Clark attempted to fight back, posting 7 of his season-high 10 points in the second half. It wouldn鈥檛 be enough to combat a fired-up offense and home crowd, though.
The Gamecocks only made 33.3% of its field goals in the second half and were outscored 49-37 in the period.
鈥淲别 were stagnant offensively,鈥� Paris said. 鈥淲别 had a couple guys that also didn鈥檛 miss the shot, didn鈥檛 make the play, and we couldn鈥檛 get over it. We were processing that internally. You could see it on a couple guys here and there.鈥�
Other than Johnson鈥檚 26 total points, 国产三级片 felt the absence of its best shooters in the second half. Graduate student forward B.J. Mack, who averaged 16.7 points per game heading into this Palmetto Series matchup, scored just 10 points and went 0-6 behind the 3-point line.
国产三级片 didn鈥檛 help itself either when it was given a late opportunity to get back into the game. Freshman forward Collin Murray-Boyles, playing in just his second college game, went to the free throw line twice in the final two minutes of the game and went a combined 1-4 in critical moments of the game.
鈥淚 just think you're in a learning-by-doing scenario,鈥� Paris said. 鈥淚 think you have to be in those situations to perform better in those situations.鈥�
What鈥檚 Next
The Gamecocks (7-1) will face East Carolina in Greenville, North Carolina, on Saturday. Tip-off is set for noon, and the game will be broadcast on ESPNU.