Razorbacks takes on South Carolina in SEC Tournament.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jaylen Barford scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half to help Arkansas hold off South Carolina for a 69-64 win in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday night.
The win is the seventh in the last nine games for the sixth-seeded Razorbacks (22-10), who advance to face No. 3 seed Florida on Friday night.
Barford, a first-team All-SEC selection, was 6 of 11 from the field and had a key 3-pointer and fast-break layup in the closing minutes. Daryl Macon added 12 points for Arkansas, hitting 8 of 8 free throws, including two in the final minute that helped seal the win.
Chris Silva had 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead the No. 11 seed Gamecocks (17-16), who advanced to the second round with a win over Mississippi on Wednesday night.
Maik Kotsar also scored 15 points, and Frank Booker added 11.
Arkansas led 36-28 at halftime thanks to its performance at the free throw line, where it hit 14 of 15 in the half.
The Razorbacks entered the game 12th in the SEC in free-throw percentage (67 percent), but they continued to shoot the ball well from the line in the second half — finishing 23 of 26 (88.5 percent) overall in the win.
BIG PICTURE
South Carolina: The loss puts an end to any hopes South Carolina had of returning to the NCAA Tournament, where it reached the school's first Final Four a year ago. After trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half, the Gamecocks rallied and closed Arkansas' lead to two points several times in the closing minutes. However, they were unable to overcome a 38.3-percent (23 of 60) effort from the field — similar to the 41.2 percent South Carolina shot in a blowout loss at Arkansas on Feb. 7.
Arkansas: Sophomore Adrio Bailey started at power forward on Thursday night for Arkansas in place of Dustin Thomas, who was kicked off the team earlier this week for violating team rules. The 6-foot7 Bailey was undersized against South Carolina's frontcourt for much of the night, but he scored nine points and had three steals and two blocks in 24 minutes — including a powerful dunk early in the second half.
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks wait on their postseason fate.
Arkansas faces Florida in the quarterfinals on Friday night.
MISSISSIPPI ST. 80, LSU 77
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Lamar Peters scored 24 points and Mississippi State hit 10 3-pointers in defeating LSU in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
Leading by seven with 34 seconds left, the Bulldogs allowed the Tigers to hit two consecutive 3s to close to 78-77. But with nine seconds to play, Mississippi State inbounded the ball, avoided foul attempts and escaped with victory after Nick Weatherspoon's dunk.
Peters led an unlikely charge from 3 for the seventh-seeded Bulldogs, who came into the contest the 15th-worst team at 30.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Mississippi State (22-10), which faces Tennessee in Friday's third quarterfinal, shot 9 of 12 from 3 in the first half and finished
the game 10 for 17.
Tenth-seeded LSU (17-14) trimmed a once 19-point Bulldogs' lead to just two with 5:52 remaining. The game stayed close until the end, but the Tigers never retook the lead.
Tremont Waters led LSU with 28 points and six assists. He sustained an injury in the final minutes but battled through till the end of the game.
Waters and Peters went back and forth all game, but Peters' teammates scored more down the stretch. Quinndary Weatherspoon and his brother, Nick, each finished with 15 points for the Bulldogs. Aric Holman posted a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 boards.
ALABAMA 71, TEXAS A&M 70
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Collin Sexton drove the length of the court in the final seconds and hit a floater at the buzzer to give Alabama a win over Texas A&M in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
The win snaps a fivegame losing streak for the ninth-seeded Crimson Tide (18-14), and it provides a much-needed boost for school's case for a bid to the NCAA Tournament — which it is trying to reach for the first time since 2012.
Sexton finished with 27 points, none bigger than his final shot.
Alabama led by as many as 12 points in the second half, but the Aggies (2012) rallied and went up 70-69 after a 3-pointer by T.J. Starks with 4.4 seconds remaining.
That's when Sexton took the inbounds pass and raced up the court for his winning shot.
Dazon Ingram scored 13 points for the Crimson Tide, and Donta Hall added 11.
Starks matched his career high with 23 points in the loss for Texas A&M, and Admon Gilder had 15.
Texas A&M had won three in a row entering the game, including a 68-66 victory over the Crimson Tide six days ago.
GEORGIA 62, MISSOURI 60
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Yante Maten scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Georgia spoiled the return of heralded freshman Michael Porter Jr. with a win in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
Georgia, the 12th seed, led throughout the second half, but fifth-seeded Missouri narrowed the Bulldogs' lead to just two points with seven seconds left. The Tigers drew up a play for their leading scorer, Kassius Robertson. But Robertson's 3-point attempt went long and Georgia secured the victory.