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Published Feb 9, 2019
Hogs fall apart in second half, lose to South Carolina
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Andrew Hutchinson  •  HawgBeat
Managing Editor
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@NWAHutch

Arkansas saw yet another double-digit lead evaporate in the second half Saturday, but this time couldn’t pull it out in the end.

South Carolina used a 22-4 run to erase a 13-point deficit and beat the Razorbacks 77-65 in Columbia, S.C. The loss snapped Arkansas’ four-game SEC winning streak that included consecutive wins in the closing seconds after blowing large leads.

It was a barrage of three-pointers that kept the Gamecocks in it all afternoon and eventually gave them their first lead since the game’s opening minute.

A.J. Lawson and Hassani Gravett each made a pair of deep ball during the 22-4 run, helping South Carolina shoot 10 of 15 (66.7 percent) from three-point range.

A tip in by Daniel Gafford briefly gave Arkansas the lead again, but the Gamecocks ended the game on another 18-4 run to make it a 25-point swing over the final 15 minutes.

That go-ahead bucket was one of the only good moments for Gafford. He was limited to five minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, but still appeared winded in the second half and scored a season-low eight points.

With him on the bench, Arkansas actually played pretty well. Thanks in large part to 15 turnovers by South Carolina, the Razorbacks built leads of 12 and 11 points.

However, Lawson knocked down threes on back-to-back possessions to help the Gamecocks make it a four-point game at halftime.

In the second half, Adrio Bailey posterized Maik Kotsar to push the Razorbacks lead to 13. Instead of propelling them to victory, though, the play marked the beginning of the end. From that point on, Arkansas was outscored 40-15.

Jalen Harris led the Razorbacks in scoring with 17 points, while Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe knocked down three three-pointers apiece to finish with 15 and 11 points, respectively.

South Carolina’s Lawson had a game-high 24 points, with Keyshawn Bryant scoring 17 and Chris Silva winning the big-man battle against Gafford with 16 points and eight rebounds.

The loss dropped Arkansas back to .500 in conference play and it will have to go on the road again in its next game, traveling to Missouri on Tuesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.

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