Leveque leads balanced South Carolina past Georgetown 80-67

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Wildens Leveque scored 14 points, 10 South Carolina players scored and the balanced Gamecocks defeated Georgetown 80-67 on Sunday.

Leveque made 6 of 8 shots for the Gamecocks (6-2), who improved to 5-0 at home. Keyshawn Bryant and James Reese V each added 11 points with Bryant also having a team-leading eight rebounds.

Reese scored all five of his second-half points in the last 5:14. He hit a 3-pointer then stole the ball from Georgetown’s Donald Carey and fed to Jacobi Wright for a fastbreak layup that pushed South Carolina’s lead to 15, 70-55, with 4:48 to play.

Carey led the Hoyas (3-4) with 20 points, including four 3-pointers, and seven rebounds. Aminu Mohammed added 17 points and eight rebounds. Dante Harris scored 13 with six assists.

Georgetown shot 22% in the first half as South Carolina led 36-27 at the break. The Hoyas were able to get as close as six points several times in the second half until Leveque made three straight baskets, including a one-handed dunk at the 7:56 mark.

Georgetown entertains UMBC on Wednesday. South Carolina breaks for a week for finals, resuming basketball Sunday, Dec. 12 at the No Room for Racism Classic, an eight-team event at Rock Hill, S.C.

Key Stats
• After struggling from the field in its last two contests, South Carolina hit 32-of-70 (45.7%) attempts from the floor in the win versus Georgetown.  The 32 makes marked a season high.
• The Gamecock defense held Georgetown to just 32.9 percent (23-70) from the floor.  It marked the fifth opponent this season held to under 40 percent from the field.

Notables
• 10 different Gamecocks scored in the win over the Hoyas, with Leveque (14), Reese V. (11) and Bryant (11) in double figures.  
• Graduate student forward AJ Wilson scored a season high nine points, and hit his first 3 of the campaign.  Wilson also had two blocks, upping his career total to 217.
• Sophomore forward Josh Gray was a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor en route to a season high nine-point performance.  Gray also had four rebounds and a block in the win.
• Freshman guard Jacobi Wright earned his second-career start versus Georgetown, and dished out a season high six assists, while also scoring eight points and pulling in a season best six rebounds.

Up Next
• Following the break for final exams, South Carolina travels to Rock Hill for the No Room For Racism Classic, where it will face Florida State on Dec. 12.  That contest is set for a Noon tipoff on ESPN2 with Roy Philpott (play-by-play) and Dane Bradshaw (analyst) on the call.