No. 25 South Carolina loses for third time this season
By CHARLES ODUM=
AP Sports Writer=
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) _ Yante Maten scored 18 points, Kenny Gaines had 17, and Georgia beat No. 25 South Carolina 69-56 on Tuesday night, giving the Gamecocks their third loss.
Georgia led by 10 points at halftime and never trailed in the second half.
J.J. Frazier scored 13 points _ all in the second half _ and hit two 3-pointers in the closing minutes for Georgia (12-8, 5-4 Southeastern Conference). The Bulldogs snapped a two-game losing streak.
South Carolina (19-3, 6-3) was denied its attempt to reach 20 wins for the first time since 2008-09, when the Gamecocks finished 21-10.
Sindarius Thornwell led South Carolina with 18 points.
Clemson dominates 2nd half to win at Wake Forest 76-62
By AARON BEARD=
AP Basketball Writer=
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) _ Jaron Blossomgame had 22 points and 13 rebounds to help Clemson beat Wake Forest 76-62 on Tuesday night.
Jordan Roper scored all 16 of his points after halftime for the Tigers (14-8, 7-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who took control in the second half to erase an eight-point halftime deficit and gradually pull away in the final 9{ minutes for a league road win.
The Tigers shot 55 percent and made 21 of 23 free throws en route to scoring 56 second-half points, showing far more energy and a greater attacking mindset than they did while managing just 20 points in the first 20 minutes.
Bryant Crawford had 13 points for the Demon Deacons (10-12, 1-9), who shot 42 percent and missed 10 free throws _ each one looming larger as the Tigers began to stretch out their lead to double figures in the final 4 minutes.
Winthrop’s Win Streak Stopped by Liberty
LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) _ A.C. Reid scored all of his 17 points in the first half as Liberty built a big lead early and cruised to an 88-77 victory over Winthrop on Tuesday night for its fifth straight win.
John Dawson had 20 points, five assists and a team-high seven rebounds for Liberty (10-15, 7-5 Big South). Evan Maxwell added 20 points.
Xavier Cooks was 10 of 17 from the floor and finished with 26 points to lead Winthrop (16-7, 8-4), which had its seven-game win streak snapped. Keon Johnson chipped in 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
The Flames started on a 26-14 run and led 44-26 at halftime. Reid was 6 of 6 from the floor and Maxwell scored eight points during the half.
Winthrop pulled to 74-68 with four minutes remaining. An 8-0 spurt, capped by Dawson’s 3-pointer stretched the Flames lead to 82-68 with two minutes left.
