Game Balls: No. 18 South Carolina at Texas A&M
In last night's thriller between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Texas A&M Aggies, Lamont Paris' squad found themselves in a similar situation from the LSU game. They saw a double-digit lead wiped away in the second half when A&M went on a 17-1 run to take the lead for the first time all night. However, while it wasn't always pretty, the coaching was there, and the Gamecocks learned from their late-game woes against LSU and finished strong, with a couple of crucial players spearheading their performance.
Meechie Johnson
Johnson has scored 20 or more points in two of his past four games, with his outing against the Aggies marking the eighth time he's crossed that threshold this season, and it couldn't have come at a better time. In the previous two games, Johnson was 1-15 from the floor; last night, he made seven of his fourteen shots (50%). With 12 of his 22 points coming in the second half, the plays Meechie made in the game's waning moments were crucial in helping Carolina leave College Station with a win.
Meechie Johnson shoots a three-point basket during the first half against the Ole Miss Rebels (02-24-24)
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Zachary Davis
Davis continues to gain more confidence with each passing game, as evidenced by him finishing the game in double figures for the second-straight outing, scoring a career-high 16 points against Texas A&M. Combine that with his already stout defensive play, and Zachary is becoming more of a two-way wing under Coach Paris, which will only make this team more dangerous next month.
Ta'Lon Cooper
After Cooper started off the game slow statistically speaking, he did what he's done several times this season, and that's show up in clutch moments. After starting 0-3 and having two turnovers in the first half, Cooper got all 11 of his points in the second half to go along with five assists, two rebounds, and a block. He also knocked down some important threes down the stretch, which never allowed the Aggies to build any cushion and momentum and allowed the Gamecocks to make their final push to seal the deal.
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