Meechie Johnson, No. 18 South Carolina jolt No. 24 Florida

Meechie Johnson scored 25 points to help No. 18 South Carolina rally to an 82-76 victory over No. 24 Florida in a Southeastern Conference game on Saturday afternoon in Columbia, S.C.

The Gamecocks (24-5, 12-4 SEC) trailed by 10 points twice in the second half but took their first lead since midway through the first on Johnson's layup with 5:05 remaining. They held on the rest of the way, outscoring the Gators 8-3 in the final minute.

Jacobi Wright scored 16 points, Collin Murray-Boyles collected 15 points and 11 rebounds and Ta'Lon Cooper added 11 points for the Gamecocks.

Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin led the Gators (20-9, 10-6) with 20 and 18 points, respectively. Tyrese Samuel chipped in 13 points and Riley Kugel had 10.

A switch to a 1-3-1 seemed to rattle the Gators, who made eight turnovers over the final 12 minutes. After dominating the boards in the first half, they had only one offensive rebound in the second, finishing with just a 34-29 advantage for the game.

Florida built a double-digit cushion, 54-44, less than seven minutes into the second half before South Carolina battled back to be within one possession, 60-57. Pullin halted that surge with a rushed 3-pointer with 7:32 left.

Just as they had in the first half, the Gamecocks went into a mild 0-of-4 shooting slump just past midway in the second half. They stayed close thanks to free throws and a 7-2 run put them up 72-68 with less than three minutes left.

The Gators started slow but went on a 14-0 scoring run that turned a 14-6 deficit into a 20-14 lead with 8:42 left in the opening period. The Gators were 6-of-9 from the field during that stretch while Gamecocks went 0-of-6 and spent over seven minutes without a field goal.

Free throws kept the Gamecocks within reach and they held a brief 28-27 lead at the 3:25 mark before the Gators closed out the half on a 10-3 run for a 37-31 lead at the break.

Florida established its dominance on the boards early, holding a 23-15 rebounding advantage with an 8-3 edge at the offensive end for a 6-0 advantage in second-chance points.