National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
South Carolina 63, Mississippi State 57
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina
Officials: # Olandis Poole, # Tim Gattis, # John Hampton
Attendance: 7635

Senior guard Sindarius Thornwell scored 22 points to help South Carolina hold off pesky Mississippi State 63-57 on Tuesday in Southeastern Conference play at Columbia, S.C.

Sophomore forward Chris Silva added 15 points and 11 rebounds as the Gamecocks (22-8, 12-5 SEC) won their second game in a row. South Carolina shot just 34 percent from the field but amassed a 39-31 rebounding edge and racked up 10 steals.

Freshman guard Mario Kegler scored 12 points, but the Bulldogs (14-15, 5-12) sabotaged their upset bid by committing 20 turnovers. Freshman guard Tyson Carter added 11 points as Mississippi State lost its seventh consecutive contest.

The Bulldogs played without leading scorer Quinndary Weatherspoon (16.5 points per game). The sophomore guard sprained an ankle Saturday in a loss to Vanderbilt.

Thornwell hit two tying free throws to start a 7-0 run that gave the Gamecocks the lead for good. Senior guard Duane Notice ended the spurt with 3-pointer to make it 57-52 with 2:12 to play.

Mississippi State was unable get closer than four points in the final minute.

Thornwell scored South Carolina's first nine points of the second half, and freshman forward Maik Kotsar followed the spree with a basket of his own as the Gamecocks opened up a 43-33 lead with 14:10 remaining.

The Bulldogs pulled within four after back-to-back 3-pointers by Carter, but South Carolina guard Rakym Felder banked in a 3-pointer to give the Gamecocks a 50-43 lead. However, South Carolina went 5 1/2 minutes without scoring, and Carter drilled a 3-pointer to give Mississippi State a 52-50 lead with 4:30 remaining.

Thornwell had just five first-half points on 1-of-6 shooting, and the Gamecocks shot just 30 percent from the field -- and 1 of 12 from 3-point range -- before leading 32-29 at the break.

Mississippi State held a 15-12 lead after scoring seven straight points before South Carolina scored the next five to regain the lead. The Bulldogs again led by three after a tip-in by freshman guard Eli Wright with 2:17 remaining before Gamecocks sophomore guard PJ Dozier drained a tying 3-pointer as part of a half-ending 6-0 burst.
Top Game Performances
 
Mississippi State   South Carolina
Mario Kegler 12 Scoring Sindarius Thornwell 22
Lamar Peters 4 Assists Duane Notice 4
Aric Holman 6 Rebounds Chris Silva 11
Mario Kegler 4 Free Throws Made Sindarius Thornwell 11
Tyson Carter 1 Steals PJ Dozier 3
E.J. Datcher 3 Blocks Sindarius Thornwell 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Mississippi State 57 36.4 7-26 10-12 10 29 7 6 20
South Carolina 63 34.0 4-19 25-34 9 35 1 10 16