Four key takeaways from South Carolina's loss to Florida at home

COLUMBIA – When things were breaking down, on either end of the court, Florida just found a way.

Errant passes from either team or loose balls, long rebounds, all ended up in a Gator's hands and more times than not, those hands drilled a 3-pointer or an easy layup.

Florida (10-6, 1-3) made its shots while South Carolina (10-6, 1-3) had a lid on the rim as Florida downed USC, 71-63, Saturday afternoon inside Colonial Life Arena.

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South Carolina did not hit shooting magic number

Through 16 games, when South Carolina shoots 39 percent or better, it has won 10 of 13 games. From the jump, the Gamecocks failed to establish a shooting rhythm, even on wide-open looks. Florida has one of the SEC's best defenses, and it looked like it all afternoon inside CLA.

South Carolina managed to make 34.7 percent of its attempts, short of what has appeared to be its recipe for success this season.

How South Carolina guard handled Florida pressure

Mike White and the Gators defense wanted to speed freshman guard Jacboi Wright, who got the start, and Jermaine Couisnard up with full-court pressure, and it worked.

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Florida prevented South Carolina's offense from settling into a groove early in the game. The Gamecocks recorded just two assists in the first 20 minutes while shooting just 33 percent from the field.

The pressure allowed Florida to take a double-digit lead halfway through the first half, build enough cushion to stave off a second-half run from USC to grab the victory on the road.

Freshmen Jacobi Wright, Devin Carter spark South Carolina

Frank Martin spent much of the first half trying to find an effective combination in the backcourt. Erik Stevenson and James Reese were cold early and had a couple of ball security mishaps.

As soon as Carter came in, he brought energy and an ability to break Florida's press on his own. He knocked down three of his first four shots, finished with seven points and had the team's best plus-minus percentage. Wright was rattled early but settled in with Carter alongside him and knocked down a 3 late in the first half.

South Carolina bench playing pivotal role

The Gamecocks have 10 guys averaging at least 13 minutes per game. The issue with that has been that guys were getting time but not converting that to quality shots and points.

Certainly, USC could've gotten more from its bench against Florida, but its bench players were the ones that got the team going and helped the team erase a 13-point lead to pull to four behind in the second half.

Chico Carter Jr., who had a team-high 12 points, Devin Carter, Brandon Martin, Ta'Quan Woodley combined to shoot 55.5 percent from the field and to score 23 points.

Cory Diaz covers the South Carolina Gamecocks for The Greenville News as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his work for all things Gamecocks on Twitter: @CoryDiaz_TGN

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Four takeaways from South Carolina basketball loss to Florida