March 5, 2015

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – It was a senior night to remember for the Gamecock men’s basketball team and Tyrone Johnson, but it would run out of gas against the No. 18 Arkansas Razorbacks (24-6, 13-4 SEC) Thursday night, falling 78-74. Led by their senior guard, Carolina erased a 20-point deficit to lead by double figures with six minutes remaining, but ended the season with a loss to move it to 14-15 overall and 5-12 in the SEC.

The Arkansas offense was rolling early, hitting its first four shots and six of its first seven through the first five minutes of the game. The Gamecocks held tough through the early burst, and trailed just 13-10 despite that 6-of-7 start for the Hogs. It would not be able to last through the entire early run, and an 8-0 run allowed forced a timeout from the Carolina bench facing a 24-12 deficit.

The run would stretch out to 15-3 to see the Hogs move ahead 31-15, hitting 6-of-8 field goals in that stretch compared to just two shots total for Carolina. The veteran leadership of Tyrone Johnson and Michael Carrera would carry the Gamecocks out of the hole, and back into contention as the half winded down.

Arkansas’ lead would peak at 20 points, 43-23, with 6:15 still to play before the Gamecock offense began rolling. Johnson and Carrera alternated baskets on three straight possessions to get it rolling, and a pair of free throws from Duane Notice would make it a 10-point game for the first time in over nine minutes of game time.

Carolina would finish the final six minutes on a 15-6 run and headed to intermission down 49-38. The Gamecocks closed out the first half with five baskets in seven attempts while holding Arkansas to just 2-of-10. Both teams would hit 50 percent or better from the field, with the Razorback posting the most first-half points allowed by Carolina all season.

The team’s strong finish to the first half would be taken to another level coming out of the break, opening with a 16-4 run that would give it its first lead of the night, 54-53 on a Carrera tip-in. After the Razorbacks reclaimed the lead at 56-54, a 7-0 run for the Gamecocks put ahead by five with 11:29 still to go.

A dunk from Michael Qualls made it a one-possession game before another sizable run from the Gamecocks had the Colonial Life Arena crowd in a frenzy. Five different players would contribute to a 10-2 run that gave the home side its biggest lead of the night at 71-60 with 7:20 to play. Stretching all the way back to its biggest deficit of 43-23, Carolina outscored the Hogs 48-17 in a span of 18 minutes, 55 seconds of action.

The nationally ranked Razorbacks would not go quietly, and began to chip away at the lead. A key factor in the final comeback would be the absence of Johnson, who went down with cramps with 2:29 to play and the team still ahead 73-70. In his absence, the team’s offensive woes were exacerbated, as it scored just one point after he was forced to leave the game

A jumper from Qualls gave Arkansas a 74-73 lead, and after two misses on Carolina’s ensuing possession the Razorbacks collected two offensive rebounds to set up a Bobby Portis basket that would make it a three-point game. Sindarius Thornwell would draw a foul on a jumper with three seconds to play, but after missing the second shot Carolina was unable to get the rebound and would not get the ball back again.

GAME CHANGER

After Carolina claimed its biggest lead of the night, 71-60, the Razorbacks finished the final 7:20 of the game on an 18-3 run. The Gamecocks shot 2-of-6 from the field in that span, and missed four free throws. It would not make a field goal for the final 4:14 of regulation.

KEY STAT The Gamecocks shot 51 percent from the field in the game to fuel the comeback attempt. It is the highest shooting percentage of the conference season, and is the best since a Dec. 30 win over North Carolina A&T.

NOTABLES

• This is Arkansas’ first win at South Carolina since February 20, 2001. It had lost the previous six meetings in Columbia.
• This is the fifth straight game that Duane Notice has made three or more 3-pointers in a game and ninth out of the last 11 games that he has reached that mark.
• Marcus Stroman returned to action after missing another game due to a recurring illness that had kept him out for two weeks in mid-February.
• Tyrone Johnson led the team in scoring for the eighth time this season, and third time in the last five games.
• Despite facing a run-and-gun offense, Carolina set a new season high in fast-break points with 20. It forced 12 turnovers and scored 21 points directly off them.

• UP NEXT

  South Carolina concludes the regular season on the road at Tennessee on Saturday in a 4 p.m. ET matchup vs. the Vols. The contest will be broadcast on FSN. UT won the first 2015 matchup between the two schools, 66-62, in Columbia on Jan. 20.

  QUOTABLE

  “Story of our season. Our kids practiced well, I knew we were going to play well today. They fight, they don’t back down. But we put ourselves, game after game after game, in a place to win and those last four minutes of the game are always an adventure. I’m disappointed with the loss but proud of the guys in the locker room. It’s frustrating.”
  Frank Martin’s opening statement

  TWEETS OF THE GAME

  Proud of @GamecockMBB tonight. WOW what a comeback! We can do it!!

  — Pam Kemmerlin (@PamKemmerlin) March 6, 2015

  Love the heart of this team @GamecockMBB. We’re still with you.

  — Cordell Simmons (@cordellsimmons) March 6, 2015