South Carolina needed a long 3-pointer as time expired in overtime to win its last game.
LSU won its last contest in much less dramatic fashion.
The Gamecocks (15-10, 6-7 Southeastern Conference) and the Tigers (19-7, 7-6) will meet Saturday afternoon in Columbia, S.C.
LSU led by as many as 32 points in an 84-65 home victory against Georgia on Wednesday. The Tigers forced 26 turnovers while winning their third consecutive game.
“I felt like with them coming and turning it over 15 times a game we could get to them with pressure,” LSU coach Will Wade said.
Tari Eason scored 21 points to lead the Tigers. Darius Days had 15 points and 12 rebounds, Brandon Murray also scored 15 and Xavier Pinson had 10 assists, seven points and four steals.
The winning streak has coincided with Pinson’s return from a knee injury, which allowed Eason to return to the bench role in which he has thrived as the Tigers’ leading scorer.
“When we have all our pieces, we’re very hard to beat,” Days said.
Visiting South Carolina watched Ole Miss’ Jarkel Joiner make a game-tying layup with 1.7 seconds left to force overtime on Tuesday.
The teams appeared headed to a second overtime with the score tied at 74 with two seconds left.
However, James Reese V snared Jermaine Couisnard’s inbounds pass and lofted a 3-pointer from just inside the midcourt line. The ball banked in to give the Gamecocks their second consecutive victory after they lost three straight.
“I think this shows the growth of this team,” said Erik Stevenson, who led South Carolina with 17 points.
The game-winner was Reese’s first 3-pointer in six tries during the game and gave the Gamecocks hope for making a run at the postseason with five more regular-season games and the SEC tournament remaining.
“Honestly, we felt like our season’s on the line,” Reese said. “Everybody was just straight laser-focused. That’s just how it’s gonna be from here on out for us. Everybody’s just locked in because we have something to fight for.”
–Field Level Media
