Gamecocks Drop Road Game at Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida won for the fifth time in its last six SEC games Wednesday night, defeating South Carolina, 81-60. The Gators star big man, Colin Castleton, led the team with 18 points thanks to an efficient 7-of-10 shooting night on the team’s home floor. Florida shot 47.0 percent (31-for-66) for the game.

The Gamecocks shot just 36.7 percent (22-of-60). It marked the team’s fifth time shooting below 40 percent in seven conference games played this season.

Carolina trailed by just eight at the break, 34-26, as the team’s exchanged buckets on both ends of the floor for portions of the opening 20 minutes. Junior forward Josh Gray was effective for the Gamecocks with seven points and five rebounds in the first half.

Florida used a 12-2 run to open up the second half that pushed its lead to 16, 46-30, with 16:30 to go. Carolina would cut it to 11 but 2 minutes later but the Gators used another big run to extend the lead to 25, 62-37, with just over 10 minutes to go.

Florida turned 15 Gamecock turnovers into 16 points and also scored 21 fastbreak points to Carolina’s three.

Four of the Gators’ starters scored in double figures alongside Castleton. They also got 15 points off the bench from Kowacie Reeves, who knocked down a trio of 3s.

Gray (11 points and 13 rebounds) and freshman forward Gregory “GG” Jackson II (20 points and 10 rebounds) each finished with a double-double for South Carolina. It marks the first time two Gamecocks had a double-double in the same game since Maik Kotsar and Keyshawn Bryant on Feb. 26, 2020 vs. Georgia in Columbia.

KEY STAT

• Florida used a pair of early second half runs to push their lead to 25 with 10:35 remaining. The Gators shot 47.0 percent (31-for-66) and had 21 assists off 31 made baskets. They held a 21-3 advantage in fast break points and a 16-4 edge in points off turnovers.

NOTABLES

• Josh Gray had career highs in points (11), rebounds (13), and field goals attempted (8) in route to his first double-double in college. The junior big man tied a career high with four made field goals, shooting 50.0 percent (4-for-8) from the field in 21 minutes of action.
• Gregory “GG” Jackson II notched his third career double-double (first in SEC play), leading the team with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
• Jackson II now has seven 20-point games this season which matches Gamecock great Sindarius Thornwell’s seven 20-point games in 2013-14.
• Chico Carter Jr. also finished in double figures with 12 points.
• Carolina had 21 second chance points resulting from 12 offensive rebounds. The Gamecocks outrebounded the Gators 45-36.

UP NEXT

Carolina (8-12, 1-6 SEC) remains on the with a trip to Athens on Saturday to face the Georgia Bulldogs (13-7, 3-4 SEC). Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. (ET) at Stegeman Coliseum with Dave Neal (pxp) and Joe Kleine (analyst) on the call for the broadcast. Carolina has won 12-straight in the series, the longest win streak on either side all-time.

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