December 29, 2001

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Jamel Bradley scored 18 points to lead South Carolina to a 86-41 rout over Charleston Southern on Friday night.

The Gamecocks (9-3) started off slow, but by the end of the first half they led 43-16. They led by as many as 50 in the second half.

Bradley got all his first half points from behind the arc hitting 4 of 7. It was the Gamecocks’ first game since an eight-day holiday break.

Charleston Southern (3-8) struggled from the field in the first 20 minutes shooting just 26 percent (6-for-23). It didn’t get any better in the beginning of the second half when center Nikola Pejovic missed two easy lay-ups and picked up his fourth foul. Kevin Warzynski led the Buccaneers with 12 points and James Seegars added nine.

South Carolina went on a 23-8 run the last 8:13 of the first half. The run began with Bradley’s 3-pointer and was capped by Chris Warren’s long-range jumper. The Gamecocks shot better than 42 percent from 3-point range in the first half and continued the accurate shooting during the final 20 minutes.

The Gamecocks have won four straight and eight of their last nine games. South Carolina will host Mercer on Sunday at 3 p.m. before opening Southeastern Conference play at No. 3 Florida on Jan. 5.

Marius Petravicius dominated under the boards with 10 rebounds. His easy lay-up with about nine minutes to play capped a 20-6 run.

South Carolina outrebounded the Buccaneers 48-37. Tony Kitchings returned to the lineup after missing the last two games. Kitchings suffered his second concussion of the season against Clemson on Dec 8. He scored nine points and grabbed 4 rebounds. Warren added 10 points.

Charleston Southern finished their toughest run of the season. They’ve lost four straight to No. 4 Virginia, N.C. State and Clemson — all by more than 20 points.