South-Carolina

Ta’Lon Cooper’s 20 leads South Carolina over No. 6 Kentucky 79-62

Published

2 years ago

January 24, 2024

Ta’Lon Cooper’s 20 leads South Carolina over No. 6 Kentucky 79-62

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Ta’Lon Cooper scored 20 points and Jacobi Wright had 14 with four 3-pointers as South Carolina pulled away in the second half and beat No. 6 Kentucky 79-62 on Tuesday night.

The Gamecocks (16-3, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) beat their highest-ranked opponent at home since taking down No. 1 Kentucky 68-62 14 years ago.

It’s the third straight loss at South Carolina for the Wildcats (14-4, 4-2) and fourth in their last seven meetings in the series.

Rob Dillingham led Kentucky with 16 points and Antonio Reeves added 15.

NO. 2 PURDUE 99, MICHIGAN 67

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Lance Jones scored a season-high 24 points and Zach Edey added 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead Purdue to a rout of Michigan.

Jones, a fifth-year transfer from Southern Illinois, sank 5-of-9 3-point shots for the Boilermakers (18-2, 7-2 Big Ten), who won their fourth straight game. Purdue’s Braden Smith contributed 11 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.

Jaelin Llewellyn led Michigan (7-12, 2-6) with 16 points. Terrance Williams II and George Washington III each scored 10 points. The Wolverines connected on just 34% of its shots.

NO. 4 HOUSTON 75, NO. 21 BYU 68

PROVO, Utah (AP) — L.J. Cryer scored 23 points to lead Houston over BYU.

Jamal Shead chipped in 16 points and Damian Dunn added 10 for Houston (17-2, 4-2 Big 12), which scored 17 points off 13 BYU turnovers and finished with a 15-7 advantage in second-chance points.

Noah Waterman led BYU with 17 points while Jaxson Robinson added 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting. BYU (14-5, 2-4) outscored Houston 28-22 in the paint and 13-7 in fastbreak points but only shot 29% from 3-point range.

TEXAS 75, NO. 11 OKLAHOMA 60

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Max Abmas scored 22 points to help Texas roll past Oklahoma.

Dylan Disu had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Dillon Mitchell added eight points and 13 boards for the Longhorns (14-5, 3-3 Big 12), who shot 50% from the floor to win their sixth straight in the series.

Abmas went 4 of 8 on 3-pointers and shot 8 of 14 from the field overall.

Jalon Moore scored 15 points and Otega Oweh added 10 for the Sooners (15-4, 3-3), who had won two straight.

NO. 12 DUKE 83, LOUISVILLE 69

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Tyrese Proctor scored a career-high 24 points, including 13 after halftime with several clutch baskets, Mark Mitchell returned from injury to add 20 with 12 rebounds and Duke outlasted Louisville.

Seeking a rebound from an 80-76 home loss to Pitt, the Blue Devils (14-4, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) got a big lift with the returns of Mitchell and Jeremy Roach from knee injuries to lead 45-34 at halftime.

Proctor made 4 of 10 from deep and 9 of 16 overall. Kyle Filipowski had 17 points and 15 rebounds.

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield had 20 points for the Cardinals (6-13, 1-7), who dropped their fourth consecutive game.

NO. 13 WISCONSIN 61, MINNESOTA 59

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Tyler Wahl had 16 points and hit two free throws with 5 seconds left to help Wisconsin beat rival Minnesota.

A.J. Storr had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Big Ten-leading Badgers (15-4, 7-1), who beat the Gophers (12-7, 3-5) for the seventh straight time. Max Klesmit scored 11 points.

Elijah Hawkins, who missed Minnesota’s last game with a sprained ankle, had 16 points, nine assists, five rebounds and two steals.

NO. 16 DAYTON 66, LA SALLE 54

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Daron Holmes II scored 22 points and Javon Bennett and Nate Santos each scored 13 to lead Dayton over La Salle for its 13th straight win.

The Flyers (16-2, 6-0 Atlantic 10) made the biggest upward move this week in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, gaining six places after wins over Saint Louis and Rhode Island.

Andres Marrero led La Salle (10-9, 1-5) with 13 points. The Explorers have lost four straight games.

NO. 17 CREIGHTON 85, XAVIER 78

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Trey Alexander scored a season-high 27 points and Baylor Scheierman had 15 of his 20 in the second half, leading Creighton past Xavier.

Scheierman made four of his five 3-pointers after halftime, with two of them thwarting Xavier comeback bids. Ryan Kalkbrenner added 16 points for the Bluejays (15-5, 6-3 Big East).

Desmond Claude and Dayvion McKnight had 20 points apiece for the Musketeers (10-9, 4-4), who had won a season-best three in a row. McKnight scored 17 in the second half while matching his career high, and he also made a career-best four 3s.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here. ___

AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Source link

Click to comment

South-Carolina

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

Published

8 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

Source link

South-Carolina

Motorcyclist critically injured in Longs area crash

Published

20 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.

Source link

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.

Source link