No. 16/17 Gamecocks end historic season with, 87-73, loss to Oregon in NCAA Tournament

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (AP) — Jermaine Couisnard scored a career-high 40 points against his former school — while leading Oregon to an 87-73 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Region on Thursday.

Couisnard, who spent three years at South Carolina before transferring in part because of a coaching change following the 2022 season, made five 3-pointers and went 14 of 22 from the field to pace the 11th-seeded Ducks (24-11).

Oregon advanced to the second round to face No. 3 seed Creighton, a 77-60 winner over No. 14 seed Akron in the first of four games at PPG Paints Arena.

Oregon center N’Faly Dante added 23 points.

The sixth-seeded Gamecocks (26-8) had too many offensive droughts to keep up with the Ducks, who beat top-seeded Arizona last week on the way to a surprising Pac-12 tourney title.

With Oregon leading by nine points early in the second half, Couisnard hit consecutive 3-pointers.

Whenever South Carolina made a push in the second half, Oregon had an answer and it was either Couisnard or the 6-foot-11 Dante, who made 70% of his shots this season.

Meechie Johnson scored 24 and Cooper 15 for the Gamecocks, who made a major turnaround in coach Lamont Paris’ second season after winning just 11 games last season.

KEY STAT

• Oregon shot 59.6 percent (28-for-47). Jermaine Couisnard (40) and N’Faly Dante (23) combined for 63 of the Duck’s 87 points. The duo went a combined 21-of-29 from the floor and 16-of-22 from the free throw line.

NOTABLES

• Junior guard Meechie Johnson led Carolina in scoring for the 15^th time with a team-high 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Johnson was 4-of-7 from 3-point land, grabbed three rebounds, and dished three assists. It marked his 22^nd game this season scoring in double-figures and his 10^th game this year scoring 20 or more.
• Junior guard Myles Stute led Carolina with eight rebounds, marking the third game this season he’s led the team on the glass.
• Graduate guard Ta’Lon Cooper led the Gamecocks in passing for the 21^st time this season with a game-high seven assists to just one turnover. Cooper entered today’s game 10^th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.42:1), tallying 23 games this season with one or no giveaways.
• Three Gamecocks scored in double-figures: Johnson (24), Cooper (15), and B.J. Mack (13).
• Carolina as a team shot 45.8 percent from three, knocking down 11 triples.
• The Garnet & Black finish the season with 26 total wins tied for the most in a single season in program history with the 2016-17 Final Four team.

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