COLUMBIA, S.C. -- — Meechie Johnson scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half and South Carolina overcame a cold-shooting start to beat The Citadel 71-55 on Saturday night.

Mike Sharavjamts added 14 points and Kobe Knox 12 for South Carolina (7-3).

The Gamecocks missed their first 19 3-point shots before Myles Stute hit a 3 with 9:20 left in the game. Johnson and Grant Polk made back-to-back 3-pointers that gave South Carolina a 55-47 lead less than three minutes later.

Johnson converted a three-point play and Hayden Assemian followed with a basket that made it an 11-point game with 4:24 remaining.

Carter Kingsbury made 8 of 14 from the field and led The Citadel (3-8) with 18 points.

South Carolina finished 3 of 23 from 3-point range and shot 42% overall, but made 9 of 14 from the field over the final 10 minutes.

The Bulldogs, who are 0-8 against Division-I opponents this season, shot 37% from the field, made 2 of 19 (11%) from 3-point range, and hit 11 of 20 (55%) from the free-throw line.

Up next

The Citadel: The Bulldogs play Wednesday at Charleston.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks play Tuesday at Clemson.

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