COLUMBIA, S.C. — Jordan Wright had 14 points, including two free throws with five seconds left, as LSU erased a 16-point second-half deficit to beat No. 11 South Carolina 64-63 on Saturday.
The Tigers (13-12, 5-7 Southeastern Conference) trailed 41-25 after Zachary Davis‘ 3-pointer with 16:58 to play. That’s when LSU found its offensive flow.
South Carolina (21-5, 9-4) had a final chance, but Jacobi Wright‘s 3-pointer from the left corner hit off the rim and bounced away.
LSU players jumped and screamed in celebration while the large home crowd stood in shock.
Tyrell Ward led the Tigers with 16 points. Point guard Trae Hannibal, who played two seasons at South Carolina, had a game-high 12 rebounds.
This one looked over as South Carolina opened the second half with a 9-0 burst for their 16-point lead. Instead, the Gamecocks lost two in a row for the first time this season.
B.J. Mack had 18 points and nine rebounds to lead South Carolina. It looked like the Gamecocks might escape with victory after Ta’Lon Cooper made a 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 63-60 lead with 28.1 seconds left.
But Jordan Wright drove for a layup with 15.9 seconds to play to cut into the lead, and the Tigers forced a tie-up on the inbounds pass to Mack.
Jordan Wright, the team’s leading scorer this season, drove inside again and was fouled by Collin Murray-Boyles. He swished both foul shots for the winning points.
After trailing by five midway through the opening half, South Carolina seemed to take control with a 21-4 run led by Myles Stute and Murray-Boyles.
Stute, a Vanderbilt transfer, hit a 3-pointer to tie things at 13-all, then Mack had a 3-point play that put South Carolina up.
Murray-Boyles added another inside shot and Stute a 3-point play. When Mack hit a short shot, South Carolina was up 29-17.
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THE BIG PICTURE
LSU: This was the Tigers’ first road win against a Top 25 team since winning at Kentucky in 2019. It was certainly a welcome result for a program that came in losing six of its past seven SEC games, including its past five on the road.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks have not lost their composure this season, making them one of college basketball’s biggest surprises. But South Carolina’s typically reliable defense fell apart in the second half. The team must tighten that up if it hopes to continue chasing a league title.
UP NEXT
LSU will return home to face No. 21 Kentucky on Wednesday night.
South Carolina goes to Mississippi on Saturday.