Gamecocks Open SEC Play with Gutsy Win Over Mississippi State 68-62

South Carolina Men's basketball program hosted Mississippi state in the conference opener walking away with a gutsy win.

Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks were back at Colonial Life Arena this Saturday, where they hosted the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who sat at 11-2 coming into this game and was once a top-25 team. South Carolina wanted to start the conference play-off with a win over the Bulldogs, and to do so, they needed consistent play from their stars, and they got it from Meechie Johnson and Myles Stute in their 68-62 win over Mississippi State.

Early on in the game, the Gamecocks had a bit of nerves they needed to fight through getting down 11-3 at one point and were sloppy on the offensive side of the ball with five early turnovers. However, they would eventually settle in with the help of Meechie Johnson, who hit big back-to-back threes to get the gamecocks back in it. South Carolina took its first lead of the game with 1:48 left on the clock and finished the half strong, taking a 30-28 lead into halftime.

Meechie Johnson celebrates a three-point basket against the Florida A&M Rattlers / Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Myles Stute wasted no time getting the scoring started for South Carolina in the second half, scoring all ten of their twelve points to start the half. The rest of the team would struggle early, but that wouldn't last long, with a 9-0 by the Gamecocks about mid-way through the second half. Heading into the final 4 minutes of play, South Carolina had a 5-point lead, and Meechie Johnson led the charge to finish the game off strong, securing the win and finishing with 24 points, a game-high.

The Gamecocks started conference play with a win over Mississippi State and Coach Paris, and the team will be on the road for the next two games, which begins in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Tuesday night. This program has much to take away from today's game against Mississippi State and continues to show growth in Paris' second year as head coach for South Carolina.

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