Advertisement
basketball Edit

MBB: Frazier's free throw dooms Gamecocks

South Carolina made a quick exit from the SEC Tournament with a 65-64 loss to Georgia. J.J. Frazier made a free throw with 2.1 seconds left to break the tie and win the game.

Playing without leading scorer and rebounder Michael Carrera, South Carolina nonetheless led for the first 37 minutes of the game. South Carolina built 11-point leads in both halves, but was unable to put Georgia away.

After a three-pointer by Mindaugas Kacinas put the Gamecocks up 59-52 with 5:17 left to play, the Bulldogs controlled the rest of the game They made the hustle pays, grabbing offensive rebounds and loose balls and getting to the free throw line. On the next play, Kenny Gaines had his shot partially blocked, but Yante Maten grabbed the ball for a layup. A minute later, Frazier grabbed a missed three-pointer by Thornwell and went coast-to-coast for a layup. He added a pair of free throws on the next possession. Then Mann grabbed a PJ Dozier turnover and drew a foul. He made both free throws to give Georgia its first lead of the game with just 3:04 to play.

The teams traded the lead and then Duane Notice tied the game at 62 with 1:54 to play. South Carolina called a timeout after a Georgia turnover. Notice missed a three, but Laimonas Chatkevicius tapped the offensive rebound out to Marcus Stroman. Stroman drove to the basket and was fouled, making both free throws to put South Carolina on top.

On the next possession, the Gamecocks had Frazier trapped at midcourt with the shot clock winding down. But he split the double team, drove to the rim, pulled up, and hit a tough floater over Chatkevicius to tie the game.

The Gamecocks had a chance for the final shot, and Frank Martin chose not to call a timeout. Thornwell got the ball at the top of the key, isolated on Frazier. Thornwell dribbled the clock down, and then started his move. As he started, Frazier swiped the ball away. As Frazier recovered the ball, Thornwell grabbed Frazier, committing a foul with 2.1 seconds left. The foul sent Frazier to the line where he made the first shot. After a Georgia timeout, he intentionally missed the second, and South Carolina was unable to get off a shot.

"Coach called a play, and the plan was to get a shot," Thornwell said. "I thought we were down when I turned the ball over. So it was like a reaction to go for the ball."

It was fitting that he game came down to a one-on-one matchup between Thornwell and Frazier. Frazier was nearly unstoppable in the second half, scoring 15 of his 20 points after halftime. On the other side, Thornwell scored 23 points and grabbed five rebounds, once again filling the void left by Carrera.

South Carolina now awaits the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday. It missed a chance to burnish its resume in Nashville, and while it would a be a tremendous shock if South Carolina were passed over, a win Friday night likely would have removed all doubt. Martin said he thinks South Carolina is "absolutely" in the tournament.

"If the third place team that set a school record for regular season wins, that won 11 league games, didn't lose a single game in nonconference play, whose opponents had the seventh toughest schedule in the country is not worthy of the NCAA, then we've got a problem in our business," he said. "I don't care what anyone else has to say. I don't care what their opinions are. That's a fact. I'd like to see a lot of these so-called teams that got better looking numbers than us play in our league 18 games and see what their record would be at the end of the year."

Notes:

Carrera missed his second straight game with a hip injury. Martin said that Carrera wanted to play but was held out to prevent further injury. ... Chatkevicius had a strong game, finishing with 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds. ... Despite being nearly doubled up on the glass at one point in the first half, Georgia ended up outrebounding South Carolina 39-38. Georgia also shot 20-27 from the free throw line, while South Carolina went 10-15. Completing the trifecta, Georgia outscored South Carolina 34-28 in points in the paint. ... Maten finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Advertisement