Zachary Davis converted a layup with 3.1 seconds left as No. 18 South Carolina stayed in contention for the Southeastern Conference title with a 70-68 win over Texas A&M on Wednesday night in College Station, Texas.
Wade Taylor IV converted a runner from the right side with 9.7 seconds left to tie the score at 68, enabling the Aggies to overcome a seven-point deficit in the last two minutes. But Gamecocks coach Lamont Paris eschewed his final timeout and Meechie Johnson made the decision pay off, driving the lane and finding Davis for the last of his 16 points.
Johnson scored a game-high 22 points for South Carolina (23-5, 11-4 SEC), which stayed a game behind league co-leaders Tennessee and Alabama with three conference games left. The Gamecocks, who beat the Volunteers in the teams’ first meeting on Jan. 30, host them on March 6. Tennessee faces Alabama on Saturday.
Ta’Lon Cooper came up just shy of a triple-double with 11 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Gamecocks. South Carolina hit 45.9 percent of its field-goal attempts and collected 22 assists on 28 field goals, including the game-winner.
Tyrece Radford scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Aggies (15-13, 6-9), whose dwindling NCAA Tournament at-large hopes took another hit. Taylor added 15 points but made only 4 of 14 shots from the field, and Manny Obaseki came off the bench to contribute 11.
Texas A&M couldn’t even get off a final shot to tie or win as Taylor drove down the right side but lost possession beyond the 3-point arc as time expired.
It was the fifth straight loss for the Aggies, who despite a strong schedule likely will need to win their last three regular-season games and do damage at the SEC tournament to earn an NCAA Tournament bid.
The Gamecocks controlled most of the first half but couldn’t shake Texas A&M. They led by as many as seven after Johnson made two free throws with 6:45 remaining but settled for a 32-29 edge at the break.
–Field Level Media
