Stevenson guides South Carolina to 85-74 win over Wofford

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Erik Stevenson finished with 25 points, six rebounds and three assists to spark South Carolina to an 85-74 victory over Wofford on Tuesday night.

Stevenson made 9 of 14 shots from the floor, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range, for the Gamecocks (4-1). James Reese V pitched in with 15 points and four assists, while Jermaine Couisnard hit three 3s and scored 14.

South Carolina trailed by as many as eight points in the first half, but Reese and Stevenson both hit from distance in the final 70 seconds to give the Gamecocks a 42-38 lead at intermission.

Couisnard hit a 3 to open the second half, Stevenson followed with a bucket and Reese hit from distance to cap an 8-0 run that put South Carolina on top 50-38. The Terriers battled back to knot the score at 50 on a 3-pointer by Morgan Safford, but Reese hit a jumper, Couisnard and Stevenson followed with 3s and Jacobi Wright sank a jumper in a 10-0 run that gave the Gamecocks a 60-50 lead with 12:12 remaining. They stayed comfortably in front from there.

Sophomore Max Klesmit scored a career-high 27 for Wofford (4-2), hitting 8 of 10 shots with five 3-pointers. Isaiah Bigelow scored 13 with seven rebounds, but he made just 3 of 12 shots – 2 of 10 from distance. Safford had 11 points off the bench, while Ryan Larson scored 10.

Key Stats
> South Carolina was 31-of-52 from the field in the win vs. Wofford, connecting on 59.6 percent of its attempts from the floor.  That mark is the second-highest field goal percent under the direction of head coach Frank Martin, and the highest by a Gamecock squad since the team hit 58.7 percent from the floor versus Holy Cross on Nov. 13, 2016.

Notables
> Senior guard Erik Stevenson hit 9-of-14 attempts from the floor, including five makes from 3-point range, marking season highs.  His 25 points were also a season best.  Over the course of the last two games, he has connected on 8 of his 12 attempts from 3-point range, 66.7 percent.
> Graduate student forward AJ Wilson made his Gamecock debut tonight, scoring four points, and pulling in three rebounds.  He also had two steals in the win.
> Graduate student guard James Reese V hit a trio of 3s in the win, his third straight game with at least three makes from range.  Through the first five games of the season, Reese has hit 13-of-27 attempts from beyond the arc, 48.1 percent.
> Carolina’s 18 team assists were a season high.

Up Next
> South Carolina concludes its three-game homestand on Sunday when it hosts Rider for a 2 p.m. matchup at Colonial Life Arena.  The meeting between the Gamecocks and Broncs is the first since the 2012-13 campaign, and just the third overall.