SOUTH CAROLINA 94, LSU 83
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Sindarius Thornwell scored 24 points, and Michael Carrera had 14 of his 16 points in the second half as South Carolina gained a share of first place in the SEC, holding off Ben Simmons and LSU 94-83 on Wednesday night.
Simmons put on another dazzling display with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists. Yet, the Gamecocks used a 17-8 run in the second half fueled by freshmen PJ Dozier and Raymond Doby to take control after LSU had tied the game at 60-all.
The Tigers (15-9, 8-3) got as close as 85-81 after Simmons' foul shot in the final minute. But the Gamecocks (21-3, 8-3) made 7-of-8 foul shots after that to seal things and move into a first-place tie in the SEC with the Tigers and No. 22 Kentucky -- South Carolina's next opponent here Saturday.
Antonio Blakeney had 22 points to lead the Tigers.
Duane Notice had 15 points and Dozier 12 for the Gamecocks.
Dozier's three-point play with 8:55 left -- he was fouled by Simmons -- put South Carolina up for good 63-60. Dozier followed with a jumper and when he finished off another three-point play three minutes later, the Gamecocks were up 77-68.
Both LSU and South Carolina had shaken off bad stretches to contend for the top of the SEC.
The Tigers were 3-3 after losing to College of Charleston 70-56 on Nov. 30 in their last visit to the Palmetto State. But they've gone 12-5 since behind freshmen Simmons and Blakeney. They came in here having won four of five with the only loss a 77-75 heartbreaker to then-No. 1 Oklahoma on Jan. 30.
The Gamecocks opened the season 15-0, but went through a 4-3 run during SEC play before rebounding with an 81-78 victory over then-eighth-ranked Texas A&M last Saturday.
South Carolina used several of its big bodies to force Simmons away from the basket on one end, even forcing him into a missed chippy from close in the opening half. They also took it right at LSU's versatile big man on defense and Simmons sat for the final eight minutes of the opening half with two fouls.
Simmons heated up in the second half with several inside buckets, including a two-handed jam that drew oohs from the crowd.
Thornwell had two foul shots and a basket in the final four minutes of the opening period as South Carolina took a 39-35 lead into the break. Thornwell had 11 points in the half.
The Tigers have had only four freshmen score 30 points or more in a game between 1972-2015 since the youngest players became eligible 44 years ago. Both Ben Simmons and Antonio Blakeney have accomplished that this season.
The Gamecocks had their best shooting performance of the season last time out, going 30-of-57 (52.6 percent) to upend then-No. 8 Texas A&M this past Saturday.
Up next, LSU plays No. 15 Texas A&M at home Saturday and South Carolina takes on No. 22 Kentucky at home Saturday.
ALABAMA 63, NO. 15 TEXAS A&M 62
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Retin Obasohan scored 16 points and Alabama held off a big rally from No. 15 Texas A&M for a victory, the Aggies' third consecutive loss.
The Crimson Tide (14-9, 5-6 SEC) beat its fourth ranked opponent of Avery Johnson's debut season despite missing its final three shots. Anthony Collins was fouled on a drive with 2.3 seconds left but missed both free throws for the Aggies (18-6, 7-4). They've dropped four consecutive SEC games since a 7-0 league start, tumbling from a program-best No. 5 ranking.
Texas A&M had its chances after wiping out most of an 11-point deficit over the final 6:34.
Riley Norris had 11 points for Alabama. Obasohan had five assists and three steals.
Jalen Jones had 21 points and seven rebounds for Texas A&M. Danuel House overcame a slow start to score 12 points, and Collins finished with 11 points and five assists.
The Tide's third consecutive victory didn't come without some anxious moments for Johnson and the fans at Coleman Coliseum.
Alabama twice had to settle for three-point attempts after working most of the shot clock down in the final minutes. House responded with two free throws after the first miss and Jones pulled up for a quick three-pointer with 53 seconds left after the second, cutting the margin to 63-62.
Then Obasohan missed an off-balance shot against Collins from just inside the line.
Collins got the ball back after a couple of passes and drove toward the basket, drawing the foul.
After the misses, Obasohan took the ball down the court and ran the clock out before the Aggies could foul him.
Alabama had gone ahead 58-47 with 6:34 left on a pair of free throws by both Jimmie Taylor and Justin Coleman before the Aggies' comeback started.
VANDERBILT 86, MISSOURI 71
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Wade Baldwin IV scored 17 points, leading five starters with at least 10, and the Vanderbilt Commodores routed Missouri for their second victory in three games.
The Commodores (14-10, 6-5 SEC) improved to 11-2 at Memorial Gym this season.
Luke Kornet scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds with five blocks. Damian Jones had 14 points before fouling out, Matthew Fisher-Davis had 13 and Jeff Roberson 12.
Missouri (8-16, 1-10) lost its ninth consecutive.
Ryan Rosburg scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Tigers. Jakeenan Gant added 16 points in his return from a one-game suspension. Namon Wright had 11 and Kevin Puryear 10.
In other top 25 men’s games Wednesday, Jajuan Johnson scored 16 points and hit a key three-pointer with 1:16 left in the second overtime, and Marquette outlasted No. 20 Providence 96-91. Henry Ellenson had 26 points and 16 rebounds, and the Golden Eagles (16-9, 5-7 Big East) overcame 42 points by Providence’s Ben Bentil. ... Al Freeman scored 21 points, Taurean Prince had 18 and No. 21 Baylor beat cold-shooting Kansas State 82-72 to remain a game back of the leaders in the Big 12 race. Playing without leading rebounder Rico Gathers due to illness, the Bears (18-6, 7-4) opened on an 8-2 run, led by as many as 14 in the first half and never trailed the rest of the way. ... Shaquille Harrison had 21 points, Pat Birt hit a crucial three-pointer and scored 12 of his 17 points after halftime and Tulsa rallied from eight points down in the second half to beat No. 16 SMU 82-77. Nic Moore scored 27 to lead the Mustangs (20-3, 9-3 AAC). … Zach Smith made two free throws with 18 seconds remaining in overtime to lead Texas Tech past No. 14 Iowa State 85-82. Aaron Ross (Little Rock Parkview) scored 20 points and Devaugntah Williams added 19 to lead Texas Texas (14-9, 4-7 Big 12).
Sports on 02/11/2016