Undisciplined play plagues Texas A&M in 78-54 loss to South Carolina

Tough. Physical. Effort. Energy.

These are the words normally used to describe a Buzz Williams team.

However, on Wednesday night, Frank Williams and the South Carolina Gamecocks were the examples of how to play tough on both a physical and mental level as they cruised to a 78-54 victory over Texas A&M.

Tonight's performance was the most undisciplined the Aggies has played since Buzz took the reins a little more than a year ago.

Although filled with turnovers and missed shots, the first half was fairly even between the Gamecocks and the Aggies.

Lia Musgrave, TexAgs

Perhaps the lone bright spot for the Aggies was Emanuel Miller, who scored 28 points on Wednesday night.

It was a three-point game for the first five minutes of action until the Gamecocks started dominating the offensive glass and went on an 11-2 scoring run. During that run, the Aggies turned the ball over five times and missed three additional shots.

Then, A&M responded.

The Aggies used defense to spur their offense and immediately returned the favor.

Texas A&M went on its own 11-0 scoring spree, forcing South Carolina into five turnovers of its own, pulling within one point of the lead, 20-19.

It was the second game in a row where Buzz substituted five guys at each media timeout, but with foul trouble looming, the Aggies had to break away from the wholesale rotations and fill the on-court roster with players who would give energy and play with effort.

The smaller lineup led to more offensive rebounding opportunities for the Gamecocks, which is how Frank Martin's team built the double-digit lead midway through the first half and then a six-point advantage before intermission.

The second half was a much different game as South Carolina found a rhythm and momentum on both offense and defense.

AJ Lawson, a junior guard for the Gamecocks, led all scorers with a career-high 30 points — 19 of which came in the second period — on 50% shooting from the field.

As a team, USC grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, resulting in 20 second-chance points. Combine those numbers with 19 turnovers and shooting 20 percent from behind the 3-point line, and you have a recipe for a potential loss.

Then add that South Carolina was quicker to every loose ball and the Aggies' defense was a step slow rotating on the help side, and a potentially hard-fought loss turned into a 78-54 final on the road.

Next, Texas A&M will host No. 9 Tennessee Saturday, January 9, at Reed Arena. The game is scheduled to tip at 1 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.