COLONIAL LIFE ARENA: Florida owned a ten-point lead over South Carolina with 12:29 to play Saturday afternoon in Columbia, then the Gamecocks got defensive. Lamont Paris turned to a 1-3-1 zone that led to eight Florida turnovers, and the Gamecocks recovered for an 82-76 win over the Gators in front of nearly 17,000 fans at the Colonial Life Arena.
Florida suffered those turnovers over the final 11 minutes and three in the final three minutes. The Gamecocks scored eight points off the turnovers in the second half and 13 for the game from a total of 12 Florida turnovers. Throw in six Gamecock blocks and the Gators were deprived of 18 scoring opportunities.
The Gamecocks trailed 56-46 with 12:29 to play. Meechie Johnson hit a three to ignite the USC come back. They did a lot of their damage at the foul line hitting 8 of 11 free throw attempts during that stretch.
Collin Murray-Boyles hit a jumper and then a pair of free throws, following an offensive rebound by Zachary Davis, to tie the game at 63-63 with 5:32 remaining. Thirty seconds later, Johnson made a layup to put USC up by two.
The teams went back and forth with scores until Florida tied the game at 74-74 on a Walter Clayton three-pointer with 1:15 to play. With :46 to play, Johnson hit a deep three to put the Gamecocks up for good at 77-74. Florida missed a layup on their end, and Murray-Boyles was fouled on the rebound. He made both at the line for a 79-74 lead with :32 to play.
Two free throws by Clayton made it a three-point game once again, but Jacobi Wright was fouled, and he made one of two for an 80-76 lead. Murray-Boyles blocked a three-point attempt by Clayton on the Gator’s final possession, and Davis added the final two points from the foul line.
Johnson made 10-15 from the floor to finish with 25 points. The performance followed a 22-point outing mid-week at Texas A&M. Wright finished with 16 points and kept the Gamecocks in the game in the first half when he hit three three-pointers and scored 12 points. And Murray-Boyles had a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds.
The Gamecocks are now 24-5 overall and 12-4 in the SEC. They trail Tennessee and Alabama in the SEC standings. Those two teams play tonight in Tuscaloosa, so the Gamecocks will be tied for second with one of them come Sunday morning. USC will host Tennessee Wednesday night.
Final Stats
