A little sliver of the Music City lacked rhythm Wednesday night.
Inside Memorial Gymnasium, less than a mile off free-flowing Broadway, the South Carolina and Vanderbilt basketball teams played a game that followed a frustrating pattern of stop-start-stop-start-stop-start. Whistles, fouls and lengthy reviews made things difficult on players, coaches and fans. But between boos and complaints, a winner had to emerge.
It was South Carolina, of course.
A.J. Lawson hit a couple clutch free throws to cap a rally and give the Gamecocks a 74-71 win. USC (9-7 overall) has now won five straight. It’s 4-0 in the SEC.