Georgia falls to Gamecocks
South Carolina rains 3-pointers on the Bulldogs in an SEC loss on the road.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — In the midst of a five-game losing streak, South Carolina coach Frank Martin told his point guards that nothing was going to change unless they started playing better.
Three games later, Martin is praising his ball handlers, especially after the Gamecocks hit 13 3-pointers to beat Georgia 66-57 on Wednesday night.
Wesley Myers led South Carolina (15-13, 6-9 Southeastern Conference) with 15 points, all on 3s, and starting point guard Hassani Gravett had eight points and five assists.
“When your point guards play better, your team plays better,” said Martin, whose Gamecocks have won two of three since he challenged his point men.
The Gamecocks ended the first half on a 13-3 run to take a 15-point lead at the break.
Georgia (5-12, 6-9) scored on six straight possessions early in the second half, but then suddenly went sloppy and cold. The Bulldogs committed three offensive fouls and turned the ball over twice after cutting the deficit to 47-40.
Georgia also made just three of its next 14 shots, but trailed just 58-50 because South Carolina was shooting poorly. The Gamecocks shot just 8-of-33 in the second half, but five of their made shots were 3s
The Gamecocks also played their cleanest game of the season with just five turnovers. Georgia turned the ball over 17 times.
“When you dig that kind of hole, you have to play almost perfect to get out of it. And we didn’t do it,” Bulldogs coach Mark Fox said.
Chris Silva also scored 15 points for South Carolina despite playing just 19 minutes with foul trouble.
William Jackson II led Georgia with 14 points. Yante Maten added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
The Gamecocks shot 31 percent (21 of 68) from the field. They beat Georgia 6457 on Jan. 13 shooting just 27 percent.
Big picture
Georgia: Two wins in a row had the Bulldogs looking like they could crawl back on the NCAA Tournament bubble. But a bad loss and a season sweep now by South Carolina has Georgia a lot closer to playing on the opening day of the SEC tournament than in the NCAAs. The Bulldogs are now tied for 10th in the SEC with South Carolina and Texas A&M.
South Carolina: It’s a longshot, but the Gamecocks might be able to sneak back in the NCAA Tournament a year after making it to the Final Four last season. South Carolina finishes the season at Mississippi State, at home with LSU and at Auburn.