South-Carolina
Thomas, Davis lead South Carolina to 84-72 victory over Mercer
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Jamarii Thomas had 19 points and Zachary Davis scored 18 to lead South Carolina to an 84-72 victory over Mercer on Thursday night.
Thomas made 5 of 10 shots from the floor, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and 5 of 8 free throws for the Gamecocks (3-2). He also had three steals. Davis sank 7 of 12 shots with a pair of 3-pointers, adding five rebounds.
Collin Murray-Boyles scored 16 and finished a rebound shy of a double-double for South Carolina. Jacobi Wright scored 11.
Tyler Johnson hit four 3-pointers and led the Bears (2-3) with 15 points. Alex Holt and Angel Montas Jr. added 14 points apiece and Ahmad Robinson pitched in with 13 points and eight assists before fouling out. TJ Grant grabbed 10 rebounds off the bench.
Thomas and Davis scored seven points apiece in the first half to help South Carolina take a 36-32 lead into intermission. Cam Bryant scored all nine of his points and Johnson scored seven to keep Mercer (2-3) close. The difference in the first half was the Gamecocks made 5 of 9 free throws while the Bears did not attempt one.
South Carolina maintained a lead until Robinson buried a 3-pointer to put the Bears on top 60-59 with 10:47 left to play.
The Gamecocks moved back in front and a Myles Stute 3-pointer gave them their biggest lead to that point at 70-62 with 7:45 remaining. A Murray-Boyles dunk pushed the lead to double digits with 3:39 to go and South Carolina was not threatened from there.
It was the first time the two schools squared off since Dec. 30, 2001 — Dave Odom’s first season as South Carolina’s coach.
South Carolina will play Xavier in the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Monday.
KEY STAT
- South Carolina made a season-high 12 triples tonight, T-4th most in the Lamont Paris era.
- The Gamecocks held a 29-21 edge in bench points and a 11-3 edge in fastbreak points.
NOTABLES
- South Carolina has now won four-straight over Mercer with tonight marking the first victory over the Bears since 2001.
- Senior transfer Jamarii Thomas had a season-high 19 points to lead the team. He was 4-of-5 from behind the arc.
- Junior Zachary Davis had a career-high 18 points off the bench. He was 7-of-12 from the floor with five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
- Sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles had 16 points and nine rebounds, just missing another double-double. He was effective and efficient per usual, going 6-of-7 from the floor with a pair of steals on the defensive end of the floor. He was 2-for-2 from deep, the first two 3s of his career in 33 games played the last two seasons.
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks head south for a two-game MTE in the program’s debut at the Fort Myers Tip-Off. Carolina opens vs. Xavier (5-0) on Monday. Tip is 8:30 p.m. (ET) on FS1 with Jeff Levering (pxp) and Donny Marshall (analyst) on the call. The team will face either Virginia Tech or Michigan Wednesday.
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Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).
Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.
Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.
Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.
The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
Audi Crooks on being in the transfer portal
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg catches up with college basketball star Audi Crooks, who is still looking for her next team.
Sports Seriously
Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.
Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”
Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.
After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.
“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.
Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”
Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.
Contributing: Mitchell Northam
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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Each offseason, the NFL shakes up the landscape with free agency, as some of the top names at each position move around the league to new teams. The New Orleans Saints have fallen victim to this in 2026 so far, with Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor both moving on, and Cameron Jordan not having re-signed as of yet. Cornerback was a position that could already use a talent influx alongside Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley; now, it is even more of an issue.
Adding a new defensive back to fill the STAR role for the defense is certainly going to be a focus this spring, and that has been clear from the Saints’ pre-draft meetings. Recently, they added another name to the growing list; this time, it was South Carolina prospect Jalon Kilgore.
There is a lot to like about Kilgore, especially in that nickel or STAR role long term. He is enormously athletic and absolutely rapid both in straight-line testing and on the field. He got a decent chunk of his collegiate snaps at slot corner, 1,382 to be exact, but also had 541 in the box, 238 at free safety, 53 along the defensive line, and 24 as an outside corner.
His coverage metrics in 2025 were very solid, as on 65 targets, he allowed 34 receptions (52.3%) for 390 yards and 2 touchdowns. He picked up 2 interceptions, 10 pass deflections, 54 total tackles, and 2 fumble recoveries in 694 total snaps this season. Throughout the combine, he ended up performing well in pretty much every drill, which bodes well for his ability to translate to the NFL. If the Saints are looking to add someone with slot experience already, Kilgore may be one of the best options available.
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