Shawn Smith was 2-of-2 from the 3-point line and had 14 points for Texas A&M (12-4, 3-0 SEC), which improved to 11-1 at home. Davonte Fitzgerald added 13 points and Alex Caruso had seven assists.
Brenton Williams had 14 points for South Carolina (7-9, 0-3) and freshman Duane Notice added 12 points and five assists. Freshman Desmond Ringer added nine points and a team-high seven rebounds off the bench.
The Gamecocks jumped to a 14-3 lead six minutes into the game but the Aggies hit four straight 3-pointers during a four-minute span, the last by Jones to cut the lead to 31-30 with five minutes left. Fitzgerald followed with a tip for a brief lead and the lead changed hands three more times on the way to a 39-38 South Carolina advantage at halftime.
South Carolina led by as many as seven in the second half but the Aggies used a 14-5 run late to grab the lead. Jones put Texas A&M ahead for good with a pair of free throws with seven minutes left, and Smith and Jones followed with consecutive 3-pointers during the run for a 64-59 lead with just under five minutes left.
GAME NOTEBOOK: G Tyrone Johnson, South Carolina's leading scorer at 11.9 points per game, injured his foot when he collided with an official during a fast break late in the first half and did not return for the second half. ... G Sindarius Thornwell, the Gamecock's second leading scorer at 11.7 points, fouled out with five points. ... Texas A&M erased the Gamecocks 33-25 rebound advantage by shooting 55 percent from the floor and hitting 24-of-41 free throws.
South Carolina | Texas A&M | |
Brenton Williams 14 | Scoring | Jamal Jones 22 |
Duane Notice 5 | Assists | Alex Caruso 7 |
Desmond Ringer 7 | Rebounds | Jamal Jones 4 |
Brenton Williams 6 | Free Throws Made | Jamal Jones 9 |
Michael Carrera 4 | Steals | Jamal Jones 2 |
Laimonas Chatkevicius 1 | Blocks | Alex Caruso 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
South Carolina | 67 | 46.9 | 5-18 | 16-22 | 15 | 30 | 2 | 9 | 17 |
Texas A&M | 75 | 55.0 | 7-16 | 24-41 | 14 | 22 | 3 | 6 | 11 |