Lamont Paris wants South Carolina defense to tighten up in SEC Tournament
In its SEC Tournament opener against Arkansas on Thursday afternoon, South Carolina let the Razorbacks race out to an early lead before settling into the contest and playing the style of basketball they’ve grown accustomed to throughout the year.
The Razorbacks led by as many as eight points in the first half before the Gamecocks settled in and buckled down.
“I think we got off to a slow start defensively,” coach Lamont Paris said at halftime on the SEC Network. “I think we’re doing a much better job that way. Offensively we found our groove. A couple guys got in and seemed a little unsettled, but we found our groove.”
South Carolina quickly tightened the game up as forward Collin Murray-Boyles and others went to work. The game went back and forth for much of the first half before guard Meechie Johnson helped create a little distance when he scored a running layup at the buzzer, making the score 38-35 South Carolina.
Murray-Boyles scored a game-high 12 points in the first half of the SEC Tournament contest on 5-of-8 shooting, working his way into the paint routinely against an Arkansas squad that ran into foul trouble early.
Arkansas big man Trevon Brazile picked up two fouls in the first four minutes and change and sat most of the rest of the half. As he did, the Gamecocks found their footing. Even so, Paris isn’t fully satisfied.
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“I think the biggest part was we gave some stuff up early defensively,” Paris said. “We’ve got to find our groove defensively.”
Seven different players scored in the first half for South Carolina, while the same was true on the Arkansas side of the things.
The most glaring statistical differences in the game were points in the paint and 3-point shooting. South Carolina maintained a 26-16 edge in points in the paint, while Arkansas had a 3-to-1 advantage on made 3-pointers. The Gamecocks shot just 1-of-9 from beyond the arc in the first half.
For Arkansas, a win will be needed to keep any hopes of a quality postseason berth alive. South Carolina has already essentially clinched an NCAA Tournament berth by virtue of finishing tied for second in the league standings, though the Gamecocks can still improve their seeding with a few wins at the SEC Tournament.