LSU Men’s Basketball fell to 12-3, 0-2 in SEC play after Tuesday night’s 78-68 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The team has been without point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. and while they were able to keep the previous game against the Texas A&M Aggies close in his absence, this one didn’t have the same outcome.

The Gamecocks came out firing and went on a 10-0 run to start the game and didn’t give up the lead at any point in the game. In the first half the ‘cocks went 51.6% from the field, 10-13 from 3, and shot 100% from the free throw line.

“We gotta make an impact on the game on the defensive side.” Head Coach Matt McMahon stated. “You can’t give up 50 points in a first half on your home court, can’t allow 10 made threes in a half on your home court. That’s where we have got to get a lot better.”

The first half was rough, the team almost pulled off a comeback but it was too little too late. Getting better on all fronts will be the biggest goal for the Tigers as conference play has tested the players skills and abilities.

“Being on the court it kind of felt like we let go a little bit, for the second time in a second half.” Forward Pablo Tamba stated when asked about the comeback effort from the Tigers. “We got to stay engaged the whole game, can’t let past errors effect the end of the game.”

The Purple and Gold will travel to Nashville, Tennessee to take on the 11th ranked Vanderbilt Commodores where they’ll face yet another physical SEC team.