Slumping South Carolina loses third straight in 78-63 defeat to Missouri

The South Carolina Gamecocks got off to another slow start and struggled all the way to the finish in a deflating 78-63 road loss to the Missouri Tigers on Saturday afternoon.

Facing the Tigers without the dynamic talents of A.J. Lawson, who is also the Gamecocks’ second-leading scorer, South Carolina couldn’t get much going. The cold shooting on display during the Alabama game carried over into this one as well, with USC sitting at 25 percent from the field midway through the first half and finishing at 40 percent overall.

Still, there was reason for some hope, as Missouri’s halftime lead was just 29-25, and the Gamecocks had a couple runs left in them. But big man Chris Silva — who was USC’s chief source of offense against the Tide — struggled with foul trouble for much of the game, finishing with only 12 points and failing to grab a rebound. While USC is a very different team with Silva on the bench, this game really underscored how tired the Gamecocks are right now, and how little depth they have to work with.

Hassani Gravett led South Carolina with 20 points, and made all three of the Gamecocks’ 3-pointers. Keyshawn Bryant also hit double figures, putting up 15 points and seven rebounds.

South Carolina (14-15, 9-7 SEC) travels to Texas A&M on Tuesday for its final road game of the season.