LSU needed eight opportunities before it finally won its second Southeastern Conference game.
South Carolina is still seeking its first SEC win.
The two worst teams in the conference will meet when the Tigers (13-12, 2-10 SEC) and the Gamecocks (10-15, 0-12) face off Tuesday night in Baton Rouge, La.
LSU seemed headed for its eighth consecutive defeat before it overcame a five-point deficit in the final 20 seconds to defeat host Oklahoma 82-79 on Saturday night.
“The players have been very resilient through some struggles here,” Tigers coach Matt McMahon said. “Obviously disappointed in the results, but to keep fighting, to keep coming to work every day, and then to have it paid forward there in the second half with just a phenomenal performance and a gutsy performance.”
LSU overcame what McMahon called “a lot of curveballs from a personnel standpoint.”
Forward Corey Chest was scratched because of back spasms suffered in pregame warm-ups, and forward Derek Fountain was ill and did not dress.
Forwards Robert Miller III and Daimion Collins fouled out, forcing the Tigers to finish the game with five guards. One was leading scorer Cam Carter, who posted seven of his game-high 29 points in the final 20 seconds.
The Gamecocks set a program record with 12 consecutive SEC defeats when they lost at then-No. 3 Florida 88-67 on Saturday.
“It’s going to be crazy one day when we look back at what this team has gone through,” South Carolina coach Lamont Paris said of the SEC grind. “The whole league is going through it, but by my estimation our specific schedule is significantly harder than some others even among all the hardest ones.”
The Gamecocks haven’t won since their final pre-conference game Dec. 30 against visiting Presbyterian. Every SEC home game has been against a ranked opponent.
“The challenge is identifying things we’ve done well that allow us compete,” Paris said, “and then also identifying the very real things that allow us not to bring the ship home.”
Collin Murray-Boyles is South Carolina’s top player, leading the team with 15.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
–Field Level Media
