Gregory Jackson II poured in 18 points as South Carolina dodged an upset bid by Presbyterian with a 68-57 victory Sunday night in Columbia, S.C.
Meechie Johnson Jr. added 16 points for South Carolina (5-4) while Hayden Brown scored 14, including a clutch 3-pointer with 8:31 left that gave the Gamecocks a 50-44 lead.
The Blue Hose never recovered despite 16 points from Watson Hill and 13 from Terrell Ard Jr.
Presbyterian (2-9) was within striking distance at halftime, trailing 37-33, and took its first lead at 38-37 when Trevon Reddish-Rhone scored to put the Blue Hose in front with 18:08 left. He hit two free throws a minute later for a 40-37 lead.
Down 44-41, the Gamecocks used a backbreaking 14-0 run that saw them surge ahead 55-44 with just over six minutes to play.
Brown highlighted the charge, throwing down a dunk in which he dribbled around a defender to get to the rim, also hitting that aforementioned timely 3-pointer.
While South Carolina got on track, Presbyterian went more than five minutes without a field goal as hopes for its first road win faded.
The Gamecocks dominated out of the gate behind seven early points from Jackson, who soared in from the SEC logo in the paint to give his team a quick 6-0 lead.
Jackson then buried a 3-pointer for an 11-2 advantage at the 16:06 mark.
The Gamecocks made four of their first seven attempts from beyond the arc, with Chico Carter Jr. drilling one with 11:45 to go in the half that extended the lead to 21-10.
The Blue Hose made things interesting over the final five minutes of the half, using an 11-0 run that closed the gap to 35-33. Kobe Stewart knocked down a 3-pointer, Hill scored off a layup and Ard knocked down a shot to cap the run with 46 seconds left in the half.
South Carolina ended the scoring drought of five-plus minutes thanks to a shot by Jackson with 28 seconds to go in the half.
–Field Level Media