Texas looks to build some momentum for the stretch run of Southeastern Conference play when it faces struggling South Carolina on Tuesday in Austin, Texas.
The Longhorns (13-9, 4-5 SEC) head home after a rousing 79-69 win at Oklahoma on Saturday in which they charged back from a 14-point deficit and took control in the closing 10 minutes. That performance was a complete reversal from Texas’ previous game — an 88-82 loss at Auburn — in which it faded after halftime and especially down the stretch.
Dailyn Swain scored 13 of his team-high 18 points in the second half and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Longhorns in Saturday’s victory, marking the fourth straight game that Swain has amassed at least 18 points.
Matas Vokietaitis tallied 14 points, Camden Heide added 13 points and Jordan Pope chipped in 12, as Texas shot 72% from the floor in the second half and 60% for the game to win for the second time in its past three outings.
Swain’s play continues to be a bright spot for the enigmatic Longhorns. He is averaging 21.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in Texas’ nine conference games.
“I’m just trying to set the tone for my teammates,” Swain said. “Focusing on what we did good and building on that, and what we did bad, going back into the lab and fixing those things. … I think that’s the formula to winning games and keeping our momentum.”
The Gamecocks (11-11, 2-7) hit the road on the heels of a 92-87 overtime home loss to LSU on Saturday. South Carolina has dropped three straight games and six of its past seven.
Meechie Johnson scored 21 points, Kobe Knox had 15, Eli Ellis hit for 14, Elijah Strong tallied 12 and Mike Sharavjamts finished with 11 points for the Gamecocks in the loss, which featured eight lead changes and seven ties, all in the second half and overtime.
“We had opportunities in the second half,” South Carolina coach Lamont Paris said. “If you look at the real waning moments of the game, we didn’t make some plays, and combined with some free-throw shooting, oftentimes, that’s the difference in these close games.”
The Gamecocks lost the game at the free-throw line, making just 22 of 31 shots (71%) from the stripe after entering Saturday’s clash as the top free-throw shooting team in the league.
It will be just the second-ever matchup for the programs in Austin and the first since January 1982.
–Field Level Media
