7 hours Ago By Field Level Media
Jamarii Thomas scored 12 of his 19 points in the second half as South Carolina fended off a challenge from Mercer, pulling away for an 84-72 victory Thursday night in Columbia, S.C. Collin Murray-Boyles scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds for South Carolina (3-2), which bounced back from a loss Saturday at No.
16 Indiana. Zachary Davis contributed 18 points off the bench and Jacobi Wright added 11 points and five assists for the Gamecocks. South Carolina shot 49.
1 percent from the floor and made 12 of 27 (44.4 percent) of its shots from deep. Mercer was nearly as accurate, hitting 45.
6 percent of its field goal attempts, including 12 of 26 (46.2 percent) from distance. Tyler Johnson hit four 3-pointers on his way to scoring 15 points for Mercer (2-3) of the Southern Conference.
Ahmad Robinson scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and finished with eight assists before fouling out with 5:25 left. Alex Holt and Angel Montas Jr. added 14 points apiece for Mercer.
The Bears were gunning for their first upset of a power-conference team since toppling Georgia Tech in 2020. When Robinson made a 3-pointer with 10:47 left, it gave Mercer a 60-59 lead. But the Gamecocks were the more efficient team down the stretch as they outscored the Bears 25-12 over the final 10:33.
Mercer's hopes faded as it failed to make a field goal in a span of 6:01. Myles Stute highlighted South Carolina's charge with his lone basket of the game, a 3-pointer with 7:41 left that stretched the Gamecocks' lead to 70-62. In a tightly contested first half, there were 10 lead changes and neither team led by more than six points.
Playing under first-year coach Ryan Ridder, Mercer showed no nerves early as it hit its first three attempts from beyond the arc, including a pair of treys from Cam Bryant. South Carolina finished with a flurry at the end of the first half as a 3-pointer by Cam Scott helped the Gamecocks to a 36-32 advantage at the break. --Field Level Media.
