Gamecocks' Home Losing Streak Continues Against Auburn
The South Carolina Gamecocks sputtered out the gate in conference play, a stretch which has included losing their first three home conference by a combined 96 points. On Saturday, although Lamont Paris' team put up an admirable fight, Carolina couldn't muster enough offense as they dropped their fourth straight home game, this time to the Auburn Tigers.
At the start of the game, coach Paris and his staff decided to go with a small-ball lineup, inserting guard Jacobi Wright in at the three spot and moving Hayden Brown to the five. The small ball lineup fell apart quickly, as Brown couldn't contend with Auburn's height and length and promptly drew two fouls in the first six and a half minutes of the matchup.
With Brown needing to come out of the game, Josh Gray stepped in. He provided a boost at the center spot, grabbing multiple offensive boards and displaying strides in his positioning, timing, and effort to keep the ball in the Gamecocks' collective hands. South Carolina also found abundant opportunities to drive to the basket, as the Tigers' played tough man-to-man defense but couldn't take advantage of their chances.
Auburn, meanwhile, got the Gamecocks mixed up on multiple pick-and-rolls and slip screens, which led to an abundance of easy baskets both in the paint and outside the arc. This would continue after the intermission, as South Carolina only hit two of their first eight shots to start the second half, while Auburn would subsequently make five of their first eight attempts from the floor, as the Gamecocks went down by as many as 26 points.
Carolina would eventually go on a 16-3 run in the middle of the period, thanks in large part to the shooting of GG Jackson, who scored a career-high 30 points, but the Tigers would respond in a major way, going on a 12-2 run and never looking back.
The Gamecocks will be back on the road next Wednesday night against the Florida Gators, where they'll look to end their three-game losing skid.
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