Devan Downey scored 24 points to lead South Carolina past the Florida Gators 77-71 on Wednesday night.
The Gators led for most of the game, but turned the ball over 20 times, and made only one field goal during a six-minute stretch late in the second half.
Despite shooting 56% from the field, the Gators saw a 53-53 tie with seven minutes to play turn into a 67-57 deficit with one minute to play.
The Gamecocks finally got some offensive help from a player other than Downey as Brandis Raley-Ross and Sam Muldrow scored 20 points and 16 points, respectively.
The Gators had four starters in double figures, led by Erving Walker’s 20 and Chandler Parsons 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists.
The Gators (17-7, 6-4) go out-of-conference on Saturday to take on Xavier at home, while South Carolina (14-9, 5-4) travels to Georgia.