COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Sindarius Thornwell scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half and No. 24 South Carolina's defense smothered high-scoring No. 19 Florida much of the way for a 57-53 victory Wednesday night.
The Gamecocks (15-3, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) opened the second half with a 14-2 run and held on down the stretch when the Gators (15-4, 5-1) drew within 54-53 on Chris Chiozza's free throws shots with 40.3 seconds to go. PJ Dozier drove for South Carolina's final basket and Florida fumbled it out of bounds on its next possession.