Will Richard capped a 22-point showing by hitting the go-ahead layup with five seconds left as fifth-ranked Florida executed down the stretch and rallied for a 70-69 victory over South Carolina on Wednesday night in Columbia, S.C.
The Gators (17-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) trailed 58-45 with 8:49 left but outscored the Gamecocks 25-11 the rest of the way. Richard scored 10 points during the game-ending surge and gave the Gators their first lead by going around two defenders for a difficult game-winning layup. after South Carolina’s Zachary Davis split two free throws with 17 seconds left.
After Richard’s clutch hoop, the Gators survived when Jacobi Wright missed a 3-point try with one second left.
Richard made 9 of 14 shots as Florida shot 42.4 percent. Walter Clayton Jr. added 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field, and Alijah Martin contributed 14 for Florida, which shot 8-for-24 from 3-point range and scored 22 points off South Carolina’s 15 turnovers.
Davis scored 18 of his 22 points after halftime for the Gamecocks (10-9, 0-6), whose six-game skid coincides with their entrance to their conference schedule.
Collin Murray-Boyles added 14 points, eight assists and three blocks, and Arden Conyers chipped in 10 points as the Gamecocks shot 49.1 percent overall and were 9-of-26 from behind the arc.
South Carolina took a 32-22 lead with 4:05 left on back-to-back baskets by Murray-Boyles and a 3-pointer by Morris Ugusuk before taking a 36-29 lead by halftime.
Nick Pringle hit a jumper to give the Gamecocks a 10-point lead a little over a minute into the second half, and Murray-Boyles scored on an inside move for a 46-35 lead with 16:12 left. The Gamecocks took a 52-38 lead on a hoop by Davis with 12:46 remaining, and his dunk opened a 58-45 lead with 8:49 to go.
Florida countered with a 15-4 run and trailed 62-60 when Martin converted a 3-point play with 3:37 left. Clayton capitalized on an errant pass by Davis by hitting a triple with 1:49 left to make it 65-63 and were still ahead 68-66 after Richard sank a trey with 66 seconds left.
Following a Florida timeout, Clayton stole the ball from Davis on an inbounds play, and Martin sank two free throws for a 68-68 tie with 52 seconds left. Davis missed a 3-pointer with 33 seconds lead, and South Carolina secured the offensive board.
–Field Level Media
