Georgia holds off South Carolina, 74-69

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Silas Demary Jr. scored 15 points, Justin Hill scored all nine of his points in the second half and Georgia beat South Carolina 74-69 on Tuesday night.

Hill missed a contested layup with 1:03 remaining and it went out of bounds. The call was overturned after a video review, giving the ball back to Georgia. Hill used a crossover dribble to create separation and he sank a jumper from the free-throw line for a 70-64 lead.

Meechie Johnson answered at the other end with a long 3-pointer from the wing to make it 70-67 with 33.1 left. RJ Melendez sealed it by making two free throws with 17 seconds left for his first points of the second half.

Melendez finished with 12 points for Georgia (13-4, 3-1 SEC). Jabri Abdur-Rahim added 11 points.

Johnson led South Carolina (14-3, 3-1) with 19 points and B.J. Mack added 16. South Carolina was undone by going 17 of 32 from the free-throw line.

Johnson made a 3-pointer with 4:50 remaining in the first half to give him 12 of South Carolina’s opening 27 points. The Gamecocks led 34-33 at halftime.

South Carolina took a 48-39 lead with 14:05 remaining in the second half. But the Gamecocks didn’t make another field goal until Johnson’s 3-pointer with 4:57 remaining to get within 58-56.

Georgia took its first lead of the second half — 51-50 with 9:14 remaining — during South Carolina’s field-goal drought of over nine minutes.

Georgia continues its road trip at No. 8 Kentucky on Saturday. South Carolina plays at Arkansas on Saturday.

KEY STAT

• UGA utilized a 13-1 run over 4:20 in the second half turning a five-point deficit into a seven-point lead.
• Georgia converted 25-of-32 free throw attempts at the charity stripe including 20-of-24 in the second half. The Gamecocks were just 47.6 percent (10-of-21) in the final 20 minutes.

NOTABLES

• Junior guard Meechie Johnson returned to double-figures with 19 points on an efficient 6-of-11 from the floor including four triples. It is Johnson’s 10^th game this year leading the Gamecocks in points and his 14^th scoring in double digits.
• Graduate forward B.J. Mack recorded double-digit points for the second consecutive game, scoring 16 points and adding five rebounds.
• Freshman forward Collin Murray-Boyles led South Carolina on the glass with six rebounds. Murray-Boyles made his second consecutive start and added eight points along with two assists in 22 minutes of action.
• The Gamecock defense allowed just 23.1 percent (3-for-13) from the 3-point line. Carolina entered tonight’s matchup first in the SEC in scoring defense allowing just 64.1 points per game.
• South Carolina recorded a season-high eight blocked shots, four coming from Murray-Boyles. The Gamecocks’ previous high of six came against George Washington back on Dec. 1.
• Myles Stute left the game with 10:57 to go in the second half and did not return with a left shoulder injury. A flagrant one, hook and hold was assessed on the play he was injured as he was attempting to get position to rebound a free throw.
• The loss tonight snaps a 10-game home win streak by the Gamecocks that dates back to last season. It’s the team’s first loss at CLA in 2023-24.

UP NEXT

Carolina (14-3, 2-2 SEC) hits the road for a tough test at Bud Walton Arena against Arkansas (10-7, 1-3 SEC) on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. (ET) on SEC Network with Dave Neal (pxp) and Joe Kleine (analyst) on the call.

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