Oscar Tshiebwe bounced back from a slow first half to finish with 18 points and 14 rebounds Tuesday night, leading No. 5 Kentucky to an 86-76 win over South Carolina in Columbia, S.C.
In winning for the fifth consecutive time, the Wildcats (20-4, 9-2 Southeastern Conference) blew open a close game with six players scoring in double figures to beat the Gamecocks (13-10, 4-7) for the third time in the past five meetings.
The nation’s leading rebounder, Tshiebwe turned up his game and tallied 12 points and 12 rebounds in the final 20 minutes. He ended with three blocks and two assists.
Kentucky’s Keion Brooks Jr. produced 15 points, nine boards and five assists. TyTy Washington Jr. posted 14 points and Kellan Grady had 12. Reserve Davion Mintz had 10 points.
Jacob Toppin recorded 10 points and three rebounds in six minutes for the Wildcats in the first half but left with an ankle injury and did not return.
The SEC’s leader in assists, Kentucky’s Sahvir Wheeler, dished out 11 helpers and added four rebounds.
Kentucky made 34 of 60 shots (56.7 percent) to improve to 21-9 all-time in Columbia.
The Gamecocks tied the game at 43 just four minutes into the second half but could not keep up with Kentucky’s speed.
South Carolina stayed in the game throughout with a dominating performance on the offensive glass, snatching 22 boards to Kentucky’s eight and leading 17-13 in second-chance points.
Keyshawn Bryant totaled 18 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. Jermaine Couisnard scored 17 points and Wildens Leveque added 16 and seven boards for South Carolina, which lost its third straight.
Tshiebwe turned in a pedestrian showing in the first half — six points and two rebounds in 11 minutes — before heading to the bench with 6:21 left after picking up his second foul.
Toppin notched six straight points late in the half before leaving the game with 1:42 remaining after contact with Leveque in the paint while battling for a rebound.
Couisnard reeled off South Carolina’s final five points of the half, leaving the home side down 39-34 at the break.
Kentucky committed 10 of its 16 turnovers in the first half.
–Field Level Media
