COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Keyshawn Bryant keyed a 24-0 run by scoring 12 of his 19 points as South Carolina rallied past Georgia 83-66 on Saturday.
On a three-game losing streak coming into the contest, the senior forward promised that the team was “gonna figure this out.” The solution came together midway through the second half.
Christian Wright hit two free throws with 10:39 left to put Georgia up, 60-53, but Bryant answered with a free throw and a three-point play to kickstart a 24-0 run. He added a second three-point play, a 3-pointer and a jumper to score half the run himself, putting the Gamecocks well in front, 77-60.
Jermaine Couisnard, who has missed time with an ankle injury and ineffective at times since his return, found his rhythm, scoring 10 of his 15 points in the second half and giving the Gamecocks their first lead since early in the first half with back-to-back transition layups to go up 61-60. He added a 3-pointer off a feed from Bryant for a 67-60 advantage.
Erik Stevenson led South Carolina (11-7, 2-4) with 20 points, hitting 3 of 7 from beyond the arc and 5 of 6 from the line.
Georgia (5-14, 0-6) built a six-point lead in the first half, 42-36, but managed just 24 points after intermission and suffered its eighth straight loss and 11th straight loss in its series with the Gamecocks.
Braelen Bridges paced Georgia with 20 points, hitting 8 of 11 from the floor. Noah Baumann hit 3 of 12 shots from behind the arc and finished with 14 points and Christian Wright hit 10 of 12 from the free throw line off the Bulldogs' bench to add 10 points.
South Carolina plays host to Vanderbilt Wednesday. Georgia returns home to host Alabama Tuesday.
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