South Carolina basketball: Gamecocks knock off 22nd ranked Florida
By Jacob Elsey
South Carolina basketball picked up its best win of the year last night.
The South Carolina basketball team put on a second half show, led by some stifling defense, to escape Gainesville with a road win over a ranked foe in conference play. The Gamecocks got a huge night from AJ Lawson, who led all players in scoring, and will hope to build upon this big win moving forward into the season’s stretch run.
South Carolina was coming off of a loss to Vanderbilt, the Commodores’ first SEC victory of the year, again allowing its opponent to score at will in the 93-81 defeat. But the tides turned in Gainesville, with Frank Martin’s crew holding Florida to just 26 second half points, ending the game on a 13-1 run over the game’s final seven minutes.
The late run helped South Carolina overcome a six point deficit, and cruise to their third SEC win of the season.
South Carolina didn’t shoot well from the outside, connecting on just 4-of-19 three-point attempts, but they were able to dominate the Gators in the paint, outscoring Florida 50-30 down low.
AJ Lawson scored 22 points, the sixth 20-point performance in his last eight outings. Seventh Woods also chipped in, scoring a season-high 12 points, his second straight double digit output.
Florida had four players notch double figures, but the Gators went cold late. After leading 65-59 with just under seven minutes, Florida made just a single free throw over the final 6:37, missing their final eight shots, and turning the ball over on three possessions. The 66 points was the Gators’ second lowest scoring output on the year.
The loss snapped a four-game Gator winning streak, which included wins over top 15 opponents Tennessee and West Virginia. For the Gamecocks, the win moves them into eighth place in the SEC standings, with three consecutive home games on the horizon. They’ll host Mississippi State this Saturday, with a chance to get back to .500 in league play.