Frank Booker’s 19 points led a balanced South Carolina attack Saturday as the Gamecocks upset No. 10 Auburn 84-75 in a Southeastern Conference game at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.
Chris Silva chipped in an 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Wesley Myers came off the bench to add 13 points for South Carolina (14-13, 5-10 SEC) before fouling out. It marked the third time this year that the Gamecocks have clipped a ranked SEC opponent.
Mustapha Heron paced the Tigers (23-4, 11-3), who remain in the SEC lead, with 16 points. Jared Harper added 13, Chuma Okeke scored 11 points and Bryce Brown netted 10 but made just 3 of 15 shots from the field.
Auburn shot miserably all day, going 20 of 63 from the field and 5 of 27 on 3-pointers, and that doomed it to defeat despite a spirited second-half rally. Auburn cut a 46-25 halftime deficit to 64-59 when Brown canned two free throws with 6:58 remaining, but couldn’t get any closer.
The game lasted more than 2 1/2 hours. Officials whistled a whopping 57 fouls and administered 75 free throws.
The first half followed a simple formula: Auburn missed a shot or turned the ball over, and South Carolina usually responded by capitalizing on the other end.
The Tigers made just 5 of 20 field goals in the half and also committed nine turnovers, which the Gamecocks converted into 14 points. They went on a 21-1 run at one point in the half and led by as many as 26 points when Booker rolled in a 3-pointer with 4:59 left, making it 40-14.
Auburn suffered a loss much bigger than a game with 1:23 left in the half. Six-foot-7 sophomore forward Anfernee McLemore was carted off the floor with a dislocated left ankle, suffered when Desean Murray rolled into him after being called for a blocking foul.
McLemore, who averages 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots per game, lay on the floor screaming for about 20 seconds as trainers tried to comfort him. After a delay of about five minutes, McLemore left the court to a standing ovation.
-- Field Level Media
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