Charlotte 65, South Carolina 63: Braxton Ogbueze scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half as the 49ers rallied from a double-digit deficit to edge the Gamecocks in the semifinals of the Charleston Classic.

Pierria Henry matched a career high with eight turnovers, but finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals for Charlotte (3-0), which will attempt to claim its third straight early season tournament title Sunday when it faces Miami (Fla.) in the championship game. Willie Clayton chipped in with 11 points, and Mike Thorne Jr. added 10 as the 49ers forced two turnovers and two missed shots in the final 1:09 to hold on for the victory.

Sindarius Thornwell led all scorers with 20 points for South Carolina (2-2), but was unable to connect on a difficult 3-point attempt from the right wing as time expired. Mindaugas Kacinas and Michael Carrera rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 apiece as the Gamecocks will square off versus Akron in the Sunday’s third-place game.

Thornwell carried South Carolina in the opening stanza with 18 points, including nine straight near the end of a 26-10 surge that left the Gamecocks with a 14-point advantage at the 7:17 mark of the first half. Charlotte yielded only two more field goals before intermission and was able to claw its way within seven by the break before tying the game at 38 three minutes into of the second half.

Following a jumper from Demetrius Henry that gave South Carolina a three-point lead, Clayton scored the first five points during a 10-0 run, but Kacinas answered with seven straight during a 9-0 spurt to put the Gamecocks back in front by two. Henry broke a 61-61 tie with 2:17 remaining and Charlotte forced a five-second call on an inbounds play with 14 seconds left.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Thornwell shot 7-of-15 in the first half, but went 1-of-9 from the field in the second half. … South Carolina committed a season-high 17 turnovers after averaging 10 in its first three contests.