Photos: Auburn dunkfest sinks South Carolina

South Carolina overcame a slow start to keep the game interesting, but fell to the Auburn Tigers 81-66.

Freshman phenom GG Jackson led the Gamecocks with 30 points to go along with eight rebounds.

Click below to view photos from the contest.

Seven days ago, South Carolina entered a three-game homestand with an opportunity to move up the league standings. 

The Gamecocks exited Saturday’s game 0-3 in that stretch with another double-digit loss, this time to No. 16 Auburn 81-66. 

South Carolina tried to make a frenzied comeback but this loss marks the team’s second three-game skid of the season and first in SEC play after losing three straight in the Charleston Classic early in the season. 

•Subscribe to Gamecock Central until Aug. 31 for only $29.99

How it happened

Like most of their games, the Gamecocks (8-11, 1-5 SEC) failed to start fast, finding themselves in a 9-2 hole three minutes into the game. There would be ample opportunity, though, for South Carolina to get back into the game but the offense, once again, struggled. 

The Gamecocks started just 4-for-21 from the field and an anemic 1-for-10 from three with a handful of turnovers. They would cut Auburn’s deficit to just six points with 4:44 to go in the first half before a massive Tigers’ run. 

Auburn closed the first half on a 15-4 run, taking advantage of the paint with Hayden Brown dealing with foul trouble and Josh Gray not on the floor. 

Frontcourt continues to be an issue for South Carolina with the Gamecocks allowing Auburn’s big men–Johni Broom and Jaylin Williams to combine for 39 points and 17 boards Saturday.  

The second half didn’t start much better for South Carolina while the Gamecocks watched the deficit balloon to 15 points just six minutes into the half.

•Become a NIL supporter of your South Carolina Gamecocks!

Auburn’s lead would get up to 26 points in the second half before the Gamecocks mounted a bit of a comeback. 

South Carolina used a 18-3 run where it hit five straight shots paired with Auburn missing nine of 10 to make it a 10-point deficit. 

But Auburn’s lead was too big, and the Tigers would counter with a big run of their own while South Carolina went nearly four minutes without a bucket. 

South Carolina did chip away late, getting the deficit back to 12 with just over a minute to go, but Auburn free throws squashed any hope of a comeback.

GG Jackson finished with a team-high 30 points on 10-for-21 shooting but no one else on the team had more than 11 points. 

Two observations

South Carolina can’t let defensive energy slip if offense isn’t going–The Gamecocks momentarily got back in the game thanks to a big run where the defensive energy was a lot better. That was tied to offensive success at times, which is human nature. But the Gamecocks can’t have that happen. If the offense is stagnating, then the defense has to pick it up. That didn’t happen. Auburn was able to use that and balloon its lead back up after the South Carolina run.

• Subscribe (for free) to the Gamecock Central YouTube page!

A much better game for GG Jackson–It wasn’t perfect, especially with Jackson missing his first six shots. But he finished with a load of points and shot 47.6 percent from the field. The biggest plus for him was getting to the free throw line eight times and hauling in eight rebounds. That performance is more in line with what South Carolina needs from him. 

Key stat

46 points–That’s how many points in the paint Auburn had. It showed a willingness to get the ball inside and test a South Carolina frontcourt that’s had issues this season. South Carolina finished with just 20 points in the paint. 

• Get South Carolina basketball news and analysis via email

Turning point

South Carolina just closed the deficit to just 10 points and the Gamecocks forced a miss. Meechie Johnson was whistled for a foul going for a loose ball with 7:29 left. That led to two Auburn free throws, followed by back-to-back Gamecock turnovers that led to Auburn transition buckets. A 10-point deficit was back to 16 and the Gamecocks couldn’t recover.

Up next

South Carolina heads back on the road for two straight away from Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks are at Florida Wednesday night with tip scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.