ChompTalk.com

The No. 24 Florida Gators (20-9, 10-6 SEC) left it all on the court Saturday afternoon, but it was not enough to beat the No. 18 South Carolina Gamecocks (24-5, 12-4 SEC), who defeated the Gators 82-76.

The Gators came out strong, leading by six at the half, but the Gamecocks adjusted well on both ends of the ball, scoring 51 points in the second half while forcing eight Gator turnovers.

It appeared the Gators were flustered by South Carolina’s shift into the zone defense, which led to an abundance of Gator mental mistakes. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks were on fire on the offensive end, eventually pulling ahead in the games’ final minutes.

Florida junior guard Walter Clayton Jr. was the Gators’ leading scorer with 20 points, which included six made three pointers. However, Clayton uncharacteristically turned the ball over six times in the contest.

Other standouts for the Gators included senior guard Zion Pullin, who had 18 points and seven assists. Senior forward Tyrese Samuel also played a solid game, adding 13 points.

For the Gamecocks, junior guard Meechie Johnson was nearly unstoppable, scoring 25 points, 21 of which came in the game’s second half.

Junior guard Jacobi Wright was also key for the Gamecocks, as he nailed four three pointers and totaled 16 points, which was his season high.

Also impressive for South Carolina was freshman forward Collin Murray-Boyles, who had 15 points and 11 rebounds. It was the freshman’s first career double-double.

Murray-Boyles also shot nine for 10 from the free throw line, accounting for almost half of South Carolina’s 23 free throw makes. The Gamecocks also had 16 more free throw attempts than the Gators in the contest.

Now sitting sixth in the SEC, the Gators will look to put this loss behind them as they head back to Gainesville to host the SEC-leading No. 14 Alabama Crimson Tide (20-8, 12-3 SEC) on Tuesday night at 7 PM.