South Carolina men hold off Missouri, 73-69, for Senior Night victory

The South Carolina Gamecock men withstood a late rally from the Missouri Tigers, holding on 73-69 to win for the fifth time in six games and send their seniors out as winners on Tuesday night.

Fittingly, Jermaine Couisnard shone for USC, leading the team with 17 points and bumping his average to 21 points per game over the past four contests. Devin Carter matched Couisnard with 17 points of his own — which included a sparkling 5-of-10 from the floor — and James Reese V (13) rounded out the double-figure scoring for the Gamecocks.

South Carolina (18-11, 9-8 SEC) was seemingly in control throughout, taking a 30-24 halftime lead into the locker room and building as much as an eight-point advantage with only 4 and a half minutes remaining. The Tigers went on a run, though, powered by Javon Pickett’s 23 points, and whittled the lead to just one point in the game’s final minute. Fortunately, the Gamecocks were able to counter that offensive outburst with Carter’s performance, as he scored eight of his points in crunch time to help the Gamecocks stave off the threat.

USC outrebounded the Tigers 40-39, and its bench outscored Mizzou’s 25-13. The win means the Gamecocks will finish with at least a .500 record in SEC play for the 10th time in program history.

South Carolina honored seven players on its Senior Night, although five are eligible to return: Keyshawn Bryant, Jermaine Couisnard, James Reese V, Erik Stevenson, A.J. Wilson, Brandon Martin, and Mike Green.

USC concludes its regular season with a trip to face No. 5 Auburn (25-4, 13-3 SEC) on Saturday.