After losing 4 of their last 5, Will Wade and the Tigers picked up a massive road win against South Carolina on Saturday night, defeating the Gamecocks 86-80 inside Colonial Life Arena.

Four LSU starters finished in double-figures, as Darius Days and Javonte Smart posted 18 points, Trendon Watford tallied 15, and Skylar Mays recorded 13. Keyshawn Bryant and Jermaine Couisnard led South Carolina in scoring with 15 points as well.

“They only shot 37 percent,” Wade said postgame. “I thought that was big for us.” 

LSU held a commanding 19-point lead with 5:11 remaining, but as fans have become accustomed to this season, the Gamecocks made it more than interesting down the stretch, cutting the lead down to as little as 4 in the final minute.

“They killed us on the glass in the second half. But I thought we handled it well enough,” Wade noted. “We weren’t perfect. But we handled it well enough.”

The Tigers went 26-of-59 [44.1%] from the floor, including nine three-point baskets. From the charity stripe, LSU was an impressive 25-of-31 [80.6%], while the Gamecocks went just 15-25 [60.0%] from the line.

With the win, LSU improves to 19-8 overall and 10-4 in SEC play. Next, the Tigers will travel to Gainesville on Wednesday to face the Florida Gators for an 8 p.m. tip on ESPN2.