Feb. 11, 2012

Final Stats | Photo Gallery

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The South Carolina men’s basketball team suffered a 76-65 loss on the road at Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark., on Saturday in SEC play. Sophomore forward Damontre Harris led South Carolina with 12 points in the contest.

Senior forward Malik Cooke led the Gamecocks (9-15, 1-9 SEC) with eight rebounds, while adding 11 points and two steals, while junior forward Lakeem Jackson added six points and three steals.

Arkansas (17-8, 5-5 SEC) was led by freshman guard BJ Young with 27 points, while freshman forward Devonta Abron added 10. The Razorbacks held a 32-30 rebounding advantage in the game.

The Gamecocks struggled with turnovers in the contest, committing 21. South Carolina hit 41.8 percent (23-55) from the floor, while Arkansas hit 50.8 percent (30-59). Both team’s hit five 3s in the contest.

Both teams struggled offensively through the first media timeout of the game. A layup by South Carolina’s Brenton Williams and a made free throw following the shot saw the contest tied at 12-12 with 11:11 on the clock. The teams would trade baskets midway through the half, but the Razorbacks would make a run capped by a Young layup to take a 25-17 lead with 7:01 on the clock.

The Gamecocks would battle back, however, paced by a pair of steals by Jackson and Eric Smith, South Carolina answered with a 10-2 run to tie the score again at 27-27 at the 4:07 mark. The Gamecocks struggled with turnovers and failed to score during the final minutes of the half, and a 3 from Young would put the score at 38-27 Razorbacks at halftime.

Arkansas extended its lead to open the half, but a dunk by Harris at the 15:59 mark saw the Gamecocks score after Cooke collected a loose ball at the opposite end.

South Carolina again struggled with turnovers on consecutive possessions under the 10-minute mark, allowing Arkansas to extend its lead to as many as 23, but the Gamecocks continued to battle, scoring 16 unanswered points, the last on a layup by Ellington with 2:39 remaining. Ellington turned in two layups, and Williams hit a long 3 to highlight the run.

Arkansas was able to close the win with solid free throw shooting during the final minutes of play.

South Carolina returns to Colonial Life Arena on Wednesday to host Georgia at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on CSS.