A jumper by Chico Carter with one second remaining gave South Carolina (2-0) a 60-58 victory over rival Clemson (1-1) Friday night in Columbia. Carter, who was 6-of-9 shooting and 4-for-6 from long range, led the Gamecocks with 16 points.
Neither team shot well with the Tigers hitting just 37.7-percent of their baskets, 7-of-18 (38.9%) from three-point range.
Friday marked the return of P.J. Hall, who has been recovering from a July knee surgery. While not yet 100-percent, Hall did lead all Clemson scorers with 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He added five rebounds, which tied a team-high.
Clemson got on the board first after a Chase Hunter layup 20 seconds in. Then the Tigers opened up a 9-4 advantage after a Brevin Galloway three-pointer.
The two teams were tied at 17 with 9:13 remaining in the first half following a Carter conversion from long range.
With 8:29 left before intermission, the Gamecocks gained their first lead of the game after G.G. Jackson’s three-pointer. The five-star Jackson, a Columbia native and former North Carolina commit, is the highest-rated recruit in program history with a No. 6 billing overall regardless of position by Rivals.com last winter.
A dunk by freshman forward Chauncey Wiggins with 5:26 left before intermission put Clemson up 24-21. From there, South Carolina went on a 14-2 run to close the half up 35-26, a series highlighted by Carter’s three-point basket with one second left on the clock.
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Clemson scored the first six points of the second half, moving to just a three-point deficit after a Hunter free throw conversion just under two minutes in. The Tigers finally moved even at 45 at the 10:25 mark after a Hunter layup.
A Josh Gray free throw with three minutes remaining tied South Carolina's largest lead of the second half at 58-51. The Tigers would quickly begin clawing back, starting with a Galloway three-pointer and a Hall layup.
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Galloway then converted two free throws with seven seconds left to even the score at 58 apiece. Six seconds later Carter's jumper put the Gamecocks up for good.
South Carolina shot just 34.4% from the field, converting 10-of-26 (38.6%) baskets from long range. The Gamecocks were just 6-of-13 (46.2%) from the foul line.
Three additional Clemson players joined Hall in reaching double figures in scoring. Both Hunter and Galloway added 13 points apiece. Hunter Tyson scored 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
Jackson finished with 12 points and eight rebounds for the Gamecocks. Gray pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
Brad Brownell is now 6-6 all-time versus South Carolina.
Clemson will return to action on Tuesday, November 15 to host USC-Upstate. The game is set for a 7 p.m. tip and will be televised by ACCNX/ESPN3.com.
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