A series had to end.
The rugged South Carolina men’s basketball team traveled to Georgia with four straight SEC losses. But the Gamecocks had recent series history on their side — 12 straight wins against the Bulldogs back in 2017.
For a moment, it seemed like Saturday’s trip to the Stegeman Coliseum in Athens had come at just the right time for the Gamecocks, with the team easily leading in the second half.
But after Georgia bounced back late to force overtime, the Gamecocks (8-13, 1-7 SEC) fell for a fifth straight season, losing 81-78 in heartbreaking fashion.
The win was Georgia’s first win against USC since 2016. Here’s what we learned.
Second half collapse
Having not led at any point in the previous four games, the Gamecocks had led most of the fight against the Bulldogs and appeared on course to victory midway through the second half as they led by as much as 12 points.
But as the Bulldogs upped the intensity with their trap defense, the Gamecocks’ offense went into a buzz saw.
The Gamecocks went more than five minutes late in the second half without a field goal as the Bulldogs put on a sizzling 12-2 run to get back into the game. In the second half alone, USC turned the ball over 12 times and UGA used the turnovers to transition on offense.
South Carolina had been particularly sharp defensively in the first half against the Bulldogs, keeping both UGA leading scorers Terry Roberts (15.6 points per game) and Kario Oquendo (12.9) without a field goal.
But Roberts caught fire late in the game, scoring his first field goal eight minutes into the second half and ending the game on 10 points to force overtime.
Missed Opportunities
There were many positives the Gamecocks could point to – from the team’s 13 combined 3-pointers to its more competitive defense.
But ultimately, the young Gamecocks folded in the high-pressure moments when they could have sealed a win. Georgia hadn’t held a lead since the 11-minute mark of the first half before a series of turnovers allowed the Bulldogs to climb back.
Even then, USC had more opportunities to seal it. In a moment that will likely repeat itself in his mind for the next few days, freshman Zachary Davis had the ball with no defenders near the basket with a chance to win the game at the end of regulation – and the ball slipped him the hands .
With that comes victory. The Gamecocks shot just 1 for 11 in five-minute overtime, with four more turnovers fueling the Georgia attack.
Brown strikes back
Despite being a consistent contributor for most of the season, veteran forward Hayden Brown had by far his worst game on Wednesday in Florida. Brown met towering Gators center Colin Castleton and fouled more than 12 minutes into the game, scoring just two points.
Brown came back with a vengeance against the Bulldogs on Saturday and led the Gamecocks by 13 first-half points as they went into halftime with a lead for the first time in four games. Brown was all over the court that first half, making a pair of 3-pointers and punctuating the half with a go-ahead follow-up dunk in the dying seconds.
Brown kept it going in the second half before fouling again in the last minute of the game. He scored his first double-double as a Gamecock with 17 points and 10 rebounds. His performance was crucial in putting USC in a position to win – although the Gamecocks couldn’t finish the job.
The next four USC MBB games
Tuesday: State of Mississippi, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Feb. 4: Arkansas, 3:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
February 7: in Missouri, 9 p.m. (SEC Network)
Feb. 11: Ole Miss, 1 p.m. (SEC Network)
