South Carolina finds shooting touch, holds off LSU rally

Elijah Strong scored a season-high 30 points, including a 4-for-4 night from 3-point range, as visiting South Carolina shot 76.9% (10 of 13) from beyond the arc in the first half before holding off LSU's comeback bid in a 78-68 victory Tuesday.

Meechie Johnson added 19 points and six assists as the Gamecocks (10-5, 1-1 SEC) won for the first time in six tries over a major college opponent this season. The victory was also the team's first SEC road win since beating Mississippi State to close the 2023-24 regular season.

Strong (18), a Boston College transfer, and Johnson (15) combined for seven 3-pointers and 33 points in the first 20 minutes as South Carolina started 9-for-9 from the field and 6-for-6 from long range. One of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country, the Gamecocks did not miss a shot until more than eight minutes had elapsed, holding a 28-10 lead at the time.

The Gamecocks rank 305th in the nation in 3-point shooting, hitting 30.8%, but made 12 of 21 (57.1%) from long range.

South Carolina jumped out to a 10-0 lead three minutes in, prompting a timeout from LSU coach Matt McMahon. Strong had eight of those points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Then it was Johnson's turn. He made three treys late to propel South Carolina to a 50-25 lead, the most points the team has scored in the first half all season.

Meanwhile, LSU (12-3, 0-2) struggled to make shots or move the ball around competently. In the first half, the Tigers shot just 28.6% (8 for 28) from the field and turned the ball over nine times as Dedan Thomas, the SEC's leading assist man with 7.1 per game, missed his second straight game with a lower leg injury.

Max Mackinnon had 12 of his team-high 15 points after the break as LSU got within 66-60 with 6:22 to play. But Strong made two free throws and two more buckets to close out the win.

Mike Nwoko (16.4 ppg), the Tigers' leading scorer, came in leading the SEC in field-goal shooting percentage, making 71.1%. However, he was held to six points on 2-of-9 shooting, though he did grab a game-high 13 rebounds.

Pablo Tamba and PJ Carter each contributed 10 points for the Tigers, which fell to 8-1 at home. Freshman Jalen Reece, filling in for Thomas for the second straight game, matched Johnson with six assists and scored nine points.

--Field Level Media