South Carolina Gamecocks vs Florida Gators Match Player Stats On Feb 03, 2021

AJ Lawson's 22 points and eight rebounds plus a clutch second-half performance from Seventh Woods led South Carolina to a 72-66 upset of No. 22 Florida on Wednesday night in Gainesville, Fla.

Woods scored all 12 of his points in the second half and sparked the Gamecocks (5-6, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) on a 13-1 run over the final 5:45 of the game.

Following a dunk by Omar Payne with 6:37 to go in the second half that gave the Gators at 65-59 lead, Florida (10-5, 6-4) did not make a field goal for the remainder of the contest.

South Carolina, which had lost four of its previous five games, won on the road for the first time this season.

With 25 seconds remaining, South Carolina led by five and Tyree Appleby went to the line for a 1-and-1 free-throw opportunity for Florida. However, he missed the front end, and Lawson collected the rebound to help put the game away for the Gamecocks.

Florida had won four consecutive games to earn its first Top 25 ranking of the season.

The Gators looked like they were ready to extend that streak with a solid defensive effort in the paint led by Tre Mann's 17 points and eight rebounds and Colin Castleton's 11 points and seven rebounds. Florida finished with a season-high 12 blocked shots, led by Castleton's seven rejections.

But the Gamecocks got major contributions from starting guard Jermaine Cousinard and Keyshawn Bryant off the bench. Bryant finished with eight points and seven rebounds and held his own defensively forcing several tough shots down the stretch. Cousinard finished with nine points, four rebounds and three steals in one of his better all-around games of this season.

South Carolina outrebounded Florida 43-35 overall and 13-8 on offensive rebounds. Wildens Leveque helped those efforts with seven rebounds and six points.

The Gamecocks took an early advantage on a 10-0 run that was keyed by Lawson and Cousinard, eventually building to a 19-9 lead. Even though Florida regained the lead late in the first half, South Carolina's late surge was too much for the Gators.

--Field Level Media