COCKS 77, Gators 71

Gamecocks catch the Gators
Raley-Ross heats up in the second half to send USC to its fifth SEC victory

Written by SETH EMERSON
semerson@thestate.com

Posted on 02.10.10

COLUMBIA, SC - This time there was not a last-second, highlight-reel finish. The reversal took longer, but seemed just as sudden.

And this time, the hero didn't have to be Devan Downey.

Brandis Raley-Ross' hot shooting down the stretch helped South Carolina rally to pull off a 77-71 victory against Florida.

It was an impressive showing by the injury-depleted Gamecocks; Downey, who was playing two days after spraining his ankle in practice, scored 24 points

USC (14-9) improved to 5-4 in the SEC, staying alive for an upper-half finish in the Eastern Division.

Florida (17-7, 6-4) had won six of its past seven, the blemish coming in a one-point loss at Tennessee.

Florida led most of the game and was ahead by as many as eight in the second half. But it missed numerous chances to put USC away.

And then the Gamecocks pounced.

USC went on a 21-7 run to flip momentum. Raley-Ross was key, scoring 17 of his 20 points in the second half.

The Gators foundered down the stretch, hitting one field goal during a six-minute stretch.

They struggled the entire game on offense, committing 20 turnovers and going 9-for-22 from the free-throw line.

For once, the Gamecocks' fortunes did not rest on Downey. Raley-Ross, also a senior guard, was quiet for the first 25 minutes. But then he got hot, and his third 3-pointer cut Florida's lead to one with 9:22 left.

A minute later, Downey's jumper gave USC its first lead since early in the first half.

From there, the Gamecocks gradually pulled away. A 3-pointer by Ramon Galloway as the shot clock expired made it a four-point lead. Another 3 by Raley-Ross extended it to 61-54 with 4:07 left.

It was a different story early in the game.

The Gamecocks started 0-for-9 on 3s, with misses by five players. Meanwhile, the Gators were hitting from beyond the arc, and Erving Walker's second 3 made it 28-20 Florida.

But the Gators committed 12 turnovers in the first half, and that helped to mitigate the fact they shot nearly 68 percent from the floor.

At one point in the second half, USC had missed more shots (31) than Florida had attempted (26).

As Downey struggled to find his groove, Sam Muldrow kept USC in it. He hit a short bank shot as the first half ended to make it a four-point game.

The Gamecocks finally got their first 3 at the 17-minute mark, a long one by Downey to make it 40-38 Florida.

At that point, USC had a couple of chances to tie or take the lead. But the Gators got a transition dunk from Kenny Boynton, and the lead soon ballooned to seven.

But then the Gamecocks got hot, and the comeback was on.