Gamecocks score big SEC road win over Texas A&M. What we learned
Frank Martin’s team is heating up.
After the South Carolina men’s basketball team started SEC play with four losses in five games, the Gamecocks have now won three straight conference games. The latest win comes on the road at noisy Reed Arena, where USC defeated Texas A&M 74-63 for an enormous conference win.
The win lifts USC to .500 in the SEC as the Gamecocks (13-7, 4-4) try to separate themselves in the muddied league standings and make a push for NCAA tournament contention. The Aggies drop to 15-6 (4-4 SEC).
“I believe we’re fighters,” junior guard Jermaine Couisnard said. “I feel like we’re never gonna go away. As long as we stay together and we believe in what coach preaches to us every day, I know we’re a pretty good team.”
Here’s what we learned about the Gamecocks.
First half a defensive struggle
Both Martin and Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams are known for their pesky defenses. Points were hard to come by in a physical, aggressive first half in which both teams shot below 38% and Texas A&M made just one of 11 3-point attempts.
As has been a problem throughout the season, the Gamecocks were a little too physical at times, allowing the Aggies to go to the free-throw line 13 times, making eight. But USC also used its defense to create on the offensive end, scoring eight points on the fast break.
USC veterans make another run
Second-half runs are quickly becoming a trend for this team.
For the third straight SEC game, South Carolina’s veterans caught fire midway through the second half — this time to the tune of a 17-1 run.
Couisnard and Erik Stevenson helped key that run with both players combining for four 3-pointers. As a team, the Gamecocks tightened up defensively, holding the Aggies scoreless for more than four minutes during that stretch as USC pulled away.
Each of Couisnard, Stevenson and veterans James Reese and Keyshawn Bryant scored double-digit points for the game, with Reese leading the team for the second-straight game in scoring with a season-high 20 points.
“To win on the road, especially in conference play, you got to have old guys that know how to close out these kind of games,” Martin said. “And that’s what those four guys did for us today.”
Gamecocks make shots from deep
The Gamecocks have shown flashes of being a proficient 3-point shooting team, but rarely has USC had all of its shooters firing the way they were Saturday night.
The Gamecocks went 9-for-19 (47.4%) from beyond the arc, with guards James Reese and Stevenson making three 3-pointers each and Couisnard scoring a game-tying, then go-ahead 3-pointer in the second half.
Additionally, the Gamecocks played strong perimeter defense, holding a typically strong 3-point shooting Aggies team to 5-of-25 shooting (20%) from deep.
Next USC men’s basketball game
Who: South Carolina at Mississippi State
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi
Watch: ESPNU
This story was originally published January 29, 2022 at 10:43 PM with the headline "Gamecocks score big SEC road win over Texas A&M. What we learned."
