LSU basketball gets hot from deep to breeze past South Carolina

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The Daily Advertiser
LSU basketball gets hot from deep to breeze past South Carolina

Shannon Mia Belt, Lafayette Daily Advertiser · The Daily Advertiser

Wed, Feb 19, 2025 ·

3 min read

Mr. Reliable

It doesn't matter who the opponent is or what the score is, senior guard Cam Carter is going to find a way to score. He showed that big time in LSU's comeback win over Oklahoma on Feb. 15 and it showed once again against South Carolina.

Feb 18, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers guard Cam Carter (5) passes around South Carolina Gamecocks forward Collin Murray-Boyles (30) during the first half at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Carter finished the first half leading the Tigers in scoring and rebounding with nine points and three boards. Mr. Reliable was just getting started, though. He finished the night leading his team with 17 points while shooting 50% from the field.

This comes as no surprise as Carter has been the engine that keeps this team's offense going. He's currently averaging a team-high 17.3 points per game — almost five more points than any other Tigers scorer.

Making them pay from deep

Typically, the Tigers don't live and die by the 3-pointer, but in the first half against the Gamecocks they did. Freshman guard Vyctorius Miller kicked things off draining it from deep for his team's first bucket of the game. He would go on to knock down three of the 13 total 3-pointers LSU made. That would be its best half of basketball in SEC play, scoring 41 points and shooting 57% from the field.

Overall, the Tigers shot 43.3% from beyond the arc compared to the Gamecocks who shot 37% from deep. With the 3-ball working for LSU, pulling away didn't take much time. In the first half, the Tigers led by as many as 14 points thanks to their lights-out shooting.

Feb 18, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers guard Vyctorius Miller (0) dribbles against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Along with Miller, five other LSU players knocked down at least one of more 3-pointers with sophomore guard Mike Williams leading the charge. He finished the game shooting 3 for 4 from beyond the arc and with a season-high 13 points.

LSU forces turnovers

One of the weak spots for South Carolina heading into this matchup was its inability to take care of the ball. The Gamecocks were averaging nearly 13 turnovers per game, giving LSU something to exploit. The Tigers did just that in forcing nine turnovers in the first half and another nine in the second.

Feb 18, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks forward Collin Murray-Boyles (30) dribbles against LSU Tigers guard Curtis Givens III (3) during the first half at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Defensively, the Tigers finished with 12 steals and five blocks as a team. Freshman forward Corey Chest played a key role, leading the Tigers in blocks with three. After missing the game versus the Sooners , the 6-foot-8, 220-pound big man was eager to get back in the paint and fulfill his role as the rim protector.

Chest and the Tigers' swarming defense made the Gamecocks offense go cold shooting 47% from the field. This promising defensive outing and victory give LSU more momentum as it will host a top 25 foe on Saturday. No. 2 Florida comes to town for a 5 p.m. CT showdown — the Tigers' sixth game versus a ranked opponent.

Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at sbelt@gannett.com.