PJ Dozier is being faced with a situation in which he needs to step up. The sophomore guard is certainly passing the test.

Dozier scored a career-best 23 points to lead No. 16 South Carolina to a 77-66 victory over South Florida on Saturday in non-conference play at Tampa, Fla.

It marked his fourth consecutive 20-point outing, the last three coming with leading scorer Sindarius Thornwell serving a suspension.

"Obviously, PJ continues to grow as a player here and do unbelievable things," Gamecocks coach Frank Martin said afterward. "But like I told him, it's also his challenge."

Dozier was up to the task and received help from senior guard Duane Notice, who scored 14 of his 15 points in the second half as the Gamecocks (9-1) overcame a six-point halftime deficit.

Freshman forward Malik Kotsar recorded 11 points and nine rebounds and freshman guard Rakym Felder scored a season-best 11 points.

But it was the play of Dozier that fueled the victory.

"With Sind being out, we had only two seniors out on the floor," Dozier said. "So as Coach said, we're young. We're a young team and we're just looking to grow."

Sophomore guard Jahmal McMurray poured in a season-best 25 points and drained five 3-point baskets for the Bulls (5-4), who dropped their 20th consecutive game against Top 25 foes. Freshman forward Malik Fitts contributed 12 points and eight rebounds and junior guard Geno Thorpe added 11 points and nine rebounds.

South Florida sabotaged its efforts by committing 17 turnovers. Not to mention that the Bulls wilted in the second half.

"We got, maybe, a little bit complacent," McMurray said. "Didn't come out with the fire that we had in the first half."

Notice knocked down all four of his second-half 3-point attempts to help the Gamecocks pull away from South Florida.

The Gamecocks trailed by six at halftime but controlled the first five-plus minutes of the second half and took a 48-46 advantage on two free throws by Felder with 14:47 to play.

South Florida inched back ahead at 51-48 on a 3-pointer by Fitts with 13:50 left. Notice followed with a 3-pointer and two free throws, senior guard Justin McKie added a layup and Dozier slammed home a dunk to give South Carolina a 57-51 edge with 10:52 to play.

The Bulls crept back within three with seven minutes left but Dozier answered with five straight points, including a 3-pointer to make it 69-61 with 5:21 remaining.

Notice drained a 3-pointer to make it 72-63 with 3:17 left. Dozer's layup exactly one minute later made it a 12-point margin to end the possibility of a rally by the Bulls.

"We have to understand that games are 40 minutes, not 20," South Florida coach Orlando Antigua said.

McMurray scored 15 first-half points as the Bulls held a 37-31 lead at the break.

The Gamecocks led 27-23 after a 3-pointer by Felder with 4:57 remaining but Thorpe's three-point play 31 seconds later began a half-ending 14-4 run for South Florida.

McMurray scored eight of the points on two 3-pointers and a put-back.

South Carolina possessed an early 12-8 edge before South Florida rattled off the next nine points. The Gamecocks responded with their best stretch of the half, outscoring the Bulls 15-6 over a seven-minute stretch with Felder draining two 3-pointers to give South Carolina a four-point advantage.

The Gamecocks shot just 35.3 percent from the field in the half. Notice missed all eight of his field-goal attempts as part of a shaky effort by South Carolina.

"It was like a boxer that's got a minute to go in the round and he's groggy," Martin said. "Luckily, we got to halftime to be able to kind of sit down and re-compose ourselves."

NOTES: South Carolina leading scorer Sindarius Thornwell (18.7 per game) missed his third straight contest due to a violation of team rules. The senior guard is expected to be reinstated in early January. ... South Florida junior G Troy Holston (knee) sat out for the second consecutive game. ... Gamecocks sophomore G PJ Dozier had three steals, marking the fifth time he has recorded three or more thefts this season. He has an SEC-leading 24. ... The Bulls dropped to 10-43 against SEC teams and fell to 1-5 against South Carolina. ... The Gamecocks were 6 of 8 from 3-point range in the second half to finish 10 of 25. ... South Florida last defeated a ranked team on Feb. 29, 2012, when it recorded a 58-51 victory over Louisville.