B.J. Mack sparked an early surge with 12 of his team-high 18 points in the first half as South Carolina defeated Arkansas 77-64 Saturday in a Southeastern Conference matchup in Fayetteville, Ark.
Mack was 6-of-10 from the field overall and 3-of-4 from long distance. He also contributed nine rebounds.
He was one of four players in double figures for the Gamecocks (15-3, 3-2 SEC), who had 20 assists on their 28 field goals.
Zach Davis scored 12 points in getting his first start of the season in place of the injured Myles Stute. Collin Murray-Boyles and Ta’Lon Cooper contributed 11 each for the Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks shot 28-of-54 (51.9 percent) for the game and 16-of-26 (61.5) in the second half against the Razorbacks.
Tramon Mark led the Razorbacks (10-8, 1-4 SEC) with 18 points, 16 of them coming in the second half. He was the only one in double figures for the Razorbacks, who shot only 37.1 percent (23-of-62).
Arkansas whittled a 12-point halftime deficit to single digits when Mack hit back-to-back 3-pointers to close the score to 49-42 with 12:54 left, but the Gamecocks answered with five quick points to get their lead back to 54-42 a minute later.
With about 10 minutes left, the Gamecocks were up 62-43 after completing a 13-1 run, giving them a game-high 19-point lead. The Razorbacks couldn’t get closer than 13 points after that.
South Carolina led from the start and got its first double-digit lead, 29-19, at the 6:15 mark of the opening period. The Gamecocks took their 12-point lead at the break after Mack’s free throws put them up 39-27 with 17 seconds left.
The Razorbacks were only 4-of-16 shooting from the field over the final 10 minutes of the first half on their way to an 11-of-31 effort while the Gamecocks finished the period 12-of-28, despite going only 2-of-8 over the final six minutes. The Gamecocks also dominated the boards 23-12 in the first half and finished with a 39-27 advantage.
–Field Level Media
