South Carolina 68, Clemson 45: Duane Notice went 5-of-9 from 3-point range en route to a game-high 19 points as the host Gamecocks turned a close game into a blowout in the second half.
Laimonas Chatkevicius added 12 points for South Carolina (6-3), which snapped a two-game skid against its in-state rival. Demetrius Henry contributed eight points and five rebounds and Tyrone Johnson dished out a career-high nine assists for the Gamecocks.
Jaron Blossomgame scored 14 points to lead Clemson (6-4), which shot 29.8 percent overall and was 4-for-18 from 3-point range. Damarcus Harrison added 10 points for the Tigers.
The Gamecocks started 2-for-15 from 3-point range before knocking down three straight — two from Notice and one from Sindarius Thornwell — in the midst of a 30-4 run that turned a tied game into a rout. The Tigers went more than 10 minutes without a field goal during the decisive run, missing 12 straight shots.
South Carolina raced out to a 16-7 lead behind six points apiece from Henry and Chatkevicius but had a tough time adjusting to Clemson's zone defense. The Tigers scored 14 points off eight Gamecock turnovers and took a 30-28 lead into halftime on Rod Hall's jumper with 10 seconds left in the half.
GAME NOTEBOOK: South Carolina F Michael Carrera returned after missing three games with a concussion and finished with six points and six rebounds … The Gamecocks improved to 6-0 when shooting for a higher percentage that the opposition. … Clemson C Landry Nnoko failed to record a blocked shot for the first time in his last 19 games.
Clemson | South Carolina | |
Jaron Blossomgame 14 | Scoring | Duane Notice 19 |
Rod Hall 3 | Assists | Tyrone Johnson 9 |
Sidy Djitte 6 | Rebounds | Sindarius Thornwell 7 |
Jordan Roper 4 | Free Throws Made | Sindarius Thornwell 3 |
Jordan Roper 3 | Steals | Laimonas Chatkevicius 2 |
Sidy Djitte 2 | Blocks | Laimonas Chatkevicius 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Clemson | 45 | 29.8 | 4-18 | 7-12 | 7 | 27 | 5 | 9 | 13 |
South Carolina | 68 | 46.0 | 7-22 | 15-20 | 17 | 35 | 7 | 7 | 12 |