South-Carolina

South Carolina’s Davis lays in game-winner vs. Aggies

Published

2 years ago

February 29, 2024

Press Room

South Carolina’s Davis lays in game-winner vs. Aggies

about an hour ago

AP

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) – Zachary Davis scored on a layup with three seconds remaining to give No. 18 South Carolina a 70-68 victory over Texas A&M on Wednesday night.

Meechie Johnson took an inbounds pass with less than 10 seconds remaining and drove down the lane before dishing off to Davis, who banked in a layup for the lead. Texas A&M had a chance to send it to overtime, but Wade Taylor IV tripped and lost the ball getting it past half court, sealing the South Carolina win.

Johnson scored 22 points as South Carolina (23-5, 11-4 Southeastern Conference) won its second straight game after losing two in a row. Davis finished with 16 points.

Tyrece Radford led the Aggies (15-13, 6-9) with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Taylor added 15 points.

South Carolina led by seven points before the Aggies used a 7-2 spurt, with five points from Manny Obaseki, to cut the lead to 68-66 with just more than a minute to go.

Ta’lon Cooper missed a free throw for the Gamecocks before A&M tied it at 68 on a driving layup by Taylor with nine seconds left.

Texas A&M continued its recent freefall, extending its season-worst skid to five games. The Aggies haven’t won since beating then-No. 6 Tennessee on Feb. 10.

The Aggies trailed by 13 points before scoring the next 10 points to cut the Gamecocks’ lead to 46-43 midway through the second half.

B.J. Mack made one of two free throws for South Carolina, but Texas A&M scored the next seven points, capped by a 3-pointer by Solomon Washington, to take a 50-47 lead with 8½ minutes remaining.

The Gamecocks missed seven consecutive shots and went more than six minutes without a field goal, allowing Texas A&M to move ahead.

Texas A&M had a two-point lead after two free throws by Taylor before South Carolina used a 9-0 run to take a 66-59 lead with 2 1/2 minutes left. Johnson led the way in that stretch, grabbing a steal and finishing with a layup at the other end before making a three-point play on the next possession.

KEY STAT

Junior guard Meechie Johnson made his biggest pass of the night to sophomore guard Zachary Davis who scored the game winning layup with three seconds remaining in regulation. The last Gamecock to hit a last-second shot (within three seconds) to win a game was Chico Carter Jr. vs. Clemson on Nov. 11, 2022.
The Gamecocks limited the best offensive rebounding team in the nation to 11 boards on that end of the floor, almost seven below their season average.

NOTABLES

For the second straight game, Zachary Davis recorded a new career-high with 16 points. Davis also set a new career best with eight made field goals, shooting 8-of-14 from the field.
Meechie Johnson led all scorers with 22 points on 50.0 percent shooting (7-for-14). It is the 12th time this season he has led the Garnet & Black in scoring and Carolina improves to 9-3 in games where he scores 20 or more points the last two seasons.
Freshman Collin Murray-Boyles grabbed a new career-high 12 rebounds, leading the Gamecocks on the glass. He added eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and dished three assists in his 13th start of the season.
Graduate guard Ta’Lon Cooper nearly had a triple-double finishing with 11 points, eight rebounds, and a team-high nine helpers. It is his 12th game this season with five or more assists and his 19th leading the team in passing. Cooper entered tonight’s matchup eighth in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.45:1) and fourth in the SEC in assists per game averaging 4.2 per contest.
Redshirt senior guard Ebrima Dibba played in just his second game this season and scored his first career points as a Gamecock. The Coastal Carolina transfer last scored on April 1, 2022, against Fresno State and missed all last season with an Achillies injury suffered in summer workouts during the 2022 offseason.
The Gamecock defense held A&M to just 11.8 percent (2-for-17) from beyond the arc. Carolina has held back-to-back opponents to less than 20.0 percent from long range and has given up just five triples (5-for-33) over the two games.
Carolina has now held 23 opponents to less than 70 points this season, which is T-4th nationally and leads the SEC. The Gamecocks have held 13 league opponents below 70 points, which leads the SEC in front of Tennessee (9), Texas A&M (7) and Auburn (7).
Carolina now has 12 single-digit turnover games this season. The 2007-08 team had 12 games with single-digit giveaways, the most by a Gamecock team since entering the SEC in 1991-92.
The Gamecocks have five SEC games with 20 or more assists. That is T-3rd most in the league with Kentucky (5). Tennessee and Auburn are tied for the lead with six games of 20 or more assists in league action.
The victory gives the Gamecocks 11 SEC wins, T-3rd most SEC victories all-time at Carolina (also won 11 games in 1997-98, 2015-16 and 2018-19).
The win is the team’s sixth SEC road victory this season, which is second most all-time behind only the 1996-97 SEC Champion Gamecocks, who won seven games on the road en route to the league crown.

UP NEXT

Carolina (23-5, 11-4 SEC) returns home after a pair on the road for a top-25 battle with No. 24/24 Florida (20-8, 9-6 SEC) on Saturday. Tip-off is slated for noon (ET). Tom Hart (pxp) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst) will be on the call for the game which will be simulcast on ESPN and SEC network.

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South-Carolina

NFL Draft Injury Analysis: Jalon Kilgore, S – South Carolina

Published

6 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

NFL Draft Injury Analysis: Jalon Kilgore, S – South Carolina

The Lions may be looking for a safety within the first two rounds due to injuries to Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. That’s where Jalon Kilgore may come in. He has some minor injuries, but appears to be a relatively low-risk prospect for a team that needs to add health to that room.

Here is the excerpt of my medical report on Jalon Kilgore:

Jalon Kilgore, S (21) – South Carolina

Projected round 2-3.

Concern level 2/10

While his availability has been excellent, Kilgore has a history of hamstring strains in 2025 and 2023. If his 2024 injury is found to be also a hamstring, then happenstance becomes a disturbing trend.

With fast-twitch athletes, hamstrings are going to be very common, and generally don’t present any long-term issues. The difficult trick will be to determine if a certain player is more prone to hamstrings.

What helps Kilgore a lot is his young age.

For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD

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South-Carolina

Motorcyclist critically injured in Longs area crash

Published

18 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Motorcyclist critically injured in Longs area crash

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — One person was critically injured in a motorcycle crash in the Longs area on Thursday afternoon, according to Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR).

Just before 2:00 p.m., crews responded to the area of Old Highway 31 near Hidden River Road.

MORE: 1 critically injured in vehicle rollover near International Dr.

One person was transported to the hospital as a result of the motorcycle crash, HCFR said.

Officials ask that drivers avoid the area as lanes of traffic are currently blocked.

The incident is under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol with assistance from the Horry County Police Department.

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South-Carolina

South Carolina’s Raven Johnson carries her grandfather’s legacy into Sweet 16

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

South Carolina’s Raven Johnson carries her grandfather’s legacy into Sweet 16

Alyssia Hamilton
| Special to USA TODAY

COLUMBIA, SC ― With the clock winding down and pressures of the Women’s NCAA Tournament rising, South Carolina senior guard Raven Johnson isn’t playing just to win. She plays in honor of a voice she can no longer hear – but that she still carries with her every time she steps onto the court.

That motivation was on full display Monday night, as the No. 1-seeded Gamecocks took down No. 9 USC to advance to the Sweet 16. Johnson earned her 1,000th career point ― what would prove to be her last point at Colonial Life Arena ― on a steal and fast-break layup that brought a roar from the crowd. The Gamecocks will face No. 4 Oklahoma Saturday in Sacramento, with another Elite Eight appearance on the line.

For Johnson, the moment symbolized something deeper – a career shaped by the memory of her late grandfather. Johnson’s family watched as she achieved the milestone, her mother, grandmother and twin brother. It was a full circle moment for a player whose journey took root in her grandparents’ home.

Her grandparents helped raise her and her twin brother, Richard Johnson. The family lived together and she often calls her grandmother “mother” and her grandfather “papa,” reflecting the impact they had on her upbringing.

“My grandparents did a really good job,” Johnson said. “We wouldn’t be playing sports if it wasn’t for them.”

The Boones introduced the twins to basketball through their church and spent countless hours training them, often pushing them past their limits. A sergeant first class in the Army Reserves, he supervised soldiers in his unit and brought that same discipline to his grandchildren on the court, being demanding, structured and determined.

“I remember being outside and he was training us and I thought it was so hard. I wanted to give up,” Johnson said. “I used to cry, and he would be like ‘You’re not going to cry in my face, and you’re not going to give up.’ It was little things like that that made me tough.”

The standard of grit, accountability and composure, is something Johnson carries today.

“She’s just a winner and she’s a great point guard,” said South Carolina senior guard Ta’Niya Latson, who also played with Johnson at Westlake High School in Atlanta. “When she’s confident, we’re confident. When she’s poised, we’re poised. It’s hard to have that type of personality and leadership on the court, but she carries it well.”

Rodrick Boone was diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2012 and died in April 2013 while Johnson was at a tournament in New Orleans. She was 10 years old.

“I remember I shut down,” Johnson said. “My mind went blank. I was like ‘What?’ I thought he was untouchable.”

Months after her grandfather’s death, something shifted in her mindset.

“I think that’s my why,” Johnson said. “I keep going today because he is my why.”

As a child, Johnson didn’t even like basketball. She preferred T-ball and cheerleading and thought basketball wasn’t for girls, until she saw Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins and began to see herself differently.

“She was so pretty to me and I remember asking ‘Can I be girly and hoop?’” Johnson said.

She was the only girl on her recreational team, earning the nickname “Killer” for her defensive intensity alongside her brother, nicknamed “Thriller” for his offensive ability. The boys tested Johnson by playing physical and trying to push her out of the sport.

“I used to be cooking them out there a little bit, and I think they didn’t like that,” Johnson said.

She said the boys trying to make it hard on her actually made her tougher both physically and mentally.

Her grandmother, Connie Boone, said her grandfather would be proud of what Johnson has become.

“He might be crying but he would be happy about it,” her grandmother said. “You start them young, but you never know what the outcome is going to be.”

Johnson imagines the conversations she’d be having with her papa if he was still here.

“He would still be on my butt riding me, he’ll tell me maybe I need to fix something,” Johnson said. “He’ll be happy and I think he’ll be like ‘All right let’s get back to the drawing board. Let’s get ready for the next opponent.’”

She knows her papa is always watching, and she talks to him a lot at night.

“I just want to tell him that I’m going to keep pushing through even when it gets tough,” Johnson said. “He’s always telling me to push through because nobody cares. Nobody cares if you’re at your lowest, nobody cares.”

On Monday, fans chanted “Raven, Raven, Raven” as she walked off the court for the final time at Colonial Life Arena, Johnson’s moment was bigger than the scoreboard.

It was about diligence, progress and a promise kept.

With another game ahead and the possibility of a deeper tournament run, she isn’t finished. She continues to push and play for the voice that gave her a reason to begin.

Alyssia Hamilton is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

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