NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Arkansas and South Carolina battled back and forth in the first half of Thursday afternoon’s second round game of the SEC Tournament inside Bridgestone Arena but a Carolina midgame run was too much to overcome for the Razorbacks in an 80-66 loss.
After an opening half that saw 13 lead changes and four ties, the Gamecocks scored the first 10 points of the second half to grow a three-point halftime lead to 13 points. The 10-point run to begin the half was an extension of a six-point run to end the first half for Carolina. The Gamecocks scored the final six points of the half and forced three Arkansas turnovers to lead 38-35 at the break. The lead proved to be too much for the Hogs in the second half, who chipped the lead down to six points but failed to get closer.
Khalif Battle led a trio of Arkansas scorers to reach double digits with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor to along with 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Battle also added a team-high seven rebounds. Makhi Mitchell and Jalen Graham each came off the bench to score 15 and 11 points, respectively, to help the Hogs outscore the Gamecocks in bench points 34-12.
Carolina took advantage in three key areas, outscoring the Razorbacks in points off turnovers (17-9), second-chance points (19-6) and points in the paint (52-38). Collin Murray-Boyles led all scorers with 24 points to go with seven boards and four steals. B.J. Mack chipped in 19 and nine boards.
