Men's Basketball . March 9, 2018

Gamecocks Comeback Bid Falls Just Shy Against Arkansas

Game #1

March 09, 2018

Men’s Basketball vs. Arkansas (SEC Tournament)

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Jaylen Barford scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half to help Arkansas hold off South Carolina for a 69-64 win in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday night.

The win is the seventh in the last nine games for the sixth-seeded Razorbacks (22-10), who advance to face No. 3 seed Florida on Friday night.

Barford, a first-team All-SEC selection, was 6 of 11 from the field and had a key 3-pointer and fast-break layup in the closing minutes. Daryl Macon added 12 points for Arkansas, hitting 8 of 8 free throws, including two in the final minute that helped seal the win.

Chris Silva had 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead the No. 11 seed Gamecocks (17-16), who advanced to the second round with a win over Mississippi on Wednesday night. Maik Kotsar also scored 15 points, and Frank Booker added 11.

Arkansas led 36-28 at halftime thanks to its performance at the free throw line, where it hit 14 of 15 in the half. The Razorbacks entered the game 12th in the SEC in free-throw percentage (67 percent), but they continued to shoot the ball well from the line in the second half – finishing 23 of 26 (88.5 percent) overall in the win.

KEY STAT

Arkansas, who came into tonight’s contest 12th in the league in free throw percentage as a team (67 percent), went 23-for-26 (88 percent) at the foul line in tonight’s game.

NOTABLE

First-Team All-SEC forward Chris Silva finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, marking his third consecutive double-double and his 10th of the 2017-18 season (14th career).
Sophomore forward Maik Kotsar had 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting. His seven made field goals were one shy of matching a career high.
Graduate transfer guard Frank Booker finished with 11 points. He knocked down a trio of 3s, marking his 17th game this season with three more makes from behind the arc.