GG Jackson II and Meechie Johnson scored 20 points apiece to lead visiting South Carolina to an 82-73 win over LSU on Saturday afternoon in Baton Rouge, La.
Jackson, the Gamecocks’ leading scorer who had come off the bench the last three games, returned to the starting lineup and added eight rebounds.
Jacobi Wright added 18 points and Hayden Brown scored 16 for South Carolina (10-17, 3-11 Southeastern Conference), which scored the first six points of the game and led the rest of the way.
Cam Hayes had 25 points and eight rebounds, KJ Williams scored 14 points and Derek Fountain added 13 for the Tigers (12-15, 1-13), who lost their 14th consecutive game.
South Carolina shot 46.3 percent from the floor, 46.9 percent on 3-pointers and 94.4 percent on free throws. LSU, in turn, shot 41.9 percent from the floor, 33.3 percent on 3-pointers and 53.8 percent on free throws.
Hayes’ layup started the second-half scoring and pulled LSU within three points, but 3-pointers by Johnson and Jackson helped give South Carolina a 44-35 lead.
The Tigers climbed within four points, but a four-point play by Johnson helped the Gamecocks extend the lead.
South Carolina led by as many as 13 points and LSU couldn’t get closer than seven points the rest of the way.
The Gamecocks made their first five 3-pointers — three by Wright and two by Jackson — and raced to a 15-5 lead.
After Williams missed a free throw for LSU, South Carolina had its first missed 3-pointer and its first made 2-pointer – a dunk by Zachary Davis that produced a 17-6 lead.
Hayes’ 3-pointer started and consecutive layups by Williams ended a 10-0 run that pulled the Tigers within 20-18.
They got within one point three times before the Gamecocks made four free throws to take a 36-31 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media