The LSU men’s basketball team (16-4, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) overcame its worst offensive first half since late November and held off visiting South Carolina (10-9, 1-6 SEC), 64-58, Wednesday night in the PMAC.
It was the Tigers’ third consecutive victory over the Gamecocks and fourth in the last five meetings.
LSU junior guard Keith Hornsby led the Tigers with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including a 2-for-4 mark from 3-point territory.
LSU sophomore guard Tim Quarterman came off the bench and chipped in 14 points and three assists, including one to sophomore forward Jarell Martin for the game-winning two-handed slam with 1:09 left in regulation.
After a five-second violation, Hornsby blocked South Carolina freshman guard Marcus Stroman’s shot attempt with 22 seconds left to seal the win.
The Tigers were without one of their top reserves, freshman guard Jalyn Patterson, against South Carolina. Patterson sat out due to an unspecified injury he sustained during LSU’s defeat of Vanderbilt on Saturday.
The Gamecocks out-rebounded the Tigers, 40-32, including a plus-12 advantage on the offensive glass. South Carolina’s work on the offensive board led to 12 second-chance points.
But LSU shot 54.5 percent from the field in the second half and 44.4 percent from 3-point range to erase a six-point deficit early in the second half.
There were seven ties and six lead changes during a mostly defensive first half. LSU built a five-point lead with 8:27 remaining before the break, but South Carolina sophomore guard Duane Notice hit a 3-pointer just before halftime to trim the Tigers’ lead to 29-28 at halftime.
It was the first time LSU failed to score at least 30 points in the first half since Nov. 22 against Weber State.
Hornsby and LSU sophomore forward Jordan Mickey both led the Tigers with eight points each in the first half. Mickey also had four rebounds and two blocks.