Dailyn Swain led Texas with 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Longhorns defeated South Carolina 84-75 in Austin on Tuesday night. Texas improved to a 14-9 overall record and an even 5-5 in Southeastern Conference play.
Tramon Mark contributed 18 points for Texas, while Camden Heide and Matas Vokietaitis each added 12. The Longhorns capitalized at the free-throw line, converting 29 of their 36 attempts, with Swain making all nine of his shots from the stripe. Heide connected on three of Texas’ seven three-pointers.
Heide’s back-to-back threes gave Texas a lead they would not relinquish, putting them ahead 56-50 with just over ten minutes left. South Carolina narrowed the gap to two points late in the game, but Swain responded with key baskets to maintain Texas’ advantage. Mark sealed the win with a jumper that extended the lead to nine points in the final minute.
For South Carolina, Meechie Johnson set a new career high by scoring 35 points on efficient shooting and added six assists. “The last player with multiple 30-point games in a season was Sindarius Thornwell in 2017 (had 44 vs. Alabama on 2/7/17 and 34 at Kentucky on 1/21/17).” Elijah Strong contributed twelve points off the bench for the Gamecocks, who have now lost four consecutive games and seven of their last eight.
South Carolina started strong with a quick run but trailed at halftime after Texas closed out the first half with a surge. Vokietaitis and Swain combined for fifteen first-half points for Texas; Johnson scored fifteen before halftime for South Carolina.
Texas dominated on the boards, outrebounding South Carolina by fifteen (40-25) and turning seventeen offensive rebounds into twenty second-chance points. The Longhorns’ thirty-six free throw attempts were the most allowed by South Carolina under head coach Lamont Paris.
Johnson’s performance marked his ninth straight game scoring in double figures and his seventeenth such game this season. He also achieved new personal bests for field goals made in a game (twelve). Kobe Knox led South Carolina with seven rebounds and scored eight points, going perfect from behind the arc.
Freshman EJ Walker made his first career start for South Carolina, recording eight points on four-of-five shooting over twenty-one minutes. Strong was also in double figures for scoring among Gamecocks players.
This contest marked South Carolina’s first visit to Austin since 1982 and only their fourth meeting against Texas all-time.
South Carolina will next face Missouri at home on Saturday.
