Share
ATHENS, Ga. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 18 points, Charles Mann added 14 and Georgia beat South Carolina 62-54 in overtime on Saturday.
The Bulldogs (13-14, 7-7 SEC) snapped a three-game losing streak.
Bruce Ellington finished with 11 points and was the only player to score in double digits for South Carolina (13-14, 3-11).
Nemanja Djurisic had 11 points and Brandon Morris pulled down 11 rebounds for Georgia.
After Ellington’s 3-pointer with 1:43 left in regulation made it 51-47 and gave South Carolina its biggest lead, the Gamecocks failed to score another field goal.
Georgia overcame an atrocious performance on free throws, missing 18 of 46 attempts, but South Carolina hardly helped itself by shooting 50 percent on 24 attempts.
The Bulldogs went more than 6 minutes without a field goal before Caldwell-Pope’s 3 with 11 seconds remaining made it 53-all. Ellington missed a long 3-point attempt at the regulation buzzer, but South Carolina got a second chance after the officials ruled that the game had gone to overtime.
During the timeout before the start of the extra period, officials retracted their decision after replays that showed the clock had started too early after Caldwell-Pope’s 3.
With another 4.5 seconds left in regulation, Ellington had his 3-point attempt from the right wing tipped by Mann at the buzzer.
In overtime, Caldwell-Pope hit a runner to give the Bulldogs a 55-53 lead, and Georgia never again trailed.
Caldwell-Pope, the SEC’s second-leading scorer, finished just 4 for 12 from the field, including 2 for 8 on 3-point attempts. He was scoreless in the first half.
The Gamecocks were seeking consecutive wins for the first time since beating Presbyterian Dec. 29 for their fifth straight victory.
