Boston U earns 78-70 upset win over South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Boston’s balanced offensive attack was more than enough to counter South Carolina star guard A.J. Lawson in a 78-70 upset victory on Tuesday.

The Terriers (3-2) had six players with at least six points, led by Javante McCoy with 17, and consistently whipped the Gamecocks (3-1) on backdoor cuts and outlet passes for uncontested 3-pointers. Lawson scored 22 and was in the middle of nearly every big play but got sparse help from his teammates.

The Gamecocks kept settling for 3-pointers despite shooting a mere 31% from long distance coming in. They were 4 of 22 Tuesday and left nine points at the line, fitting their status as the SEC’s worst free throw-shooting team.

South Carolina allowed 12 offensive rebounds and Boston scored 18 points off them. The Terriers clinched the game with an 11-2 run after it was tied at 60 with seven minutes to go.

It was the Terriers’ first win in program history over an SEC team, although they beat current SEC member Texas A&M in 1986, when the Aggies were in the Southwest Conference.

BIG PICTURE

Boston: The Terriers posted their first winning streak of the season. They beat New Hampshire Saturday before traveling to South Carolina.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks suffered a debilitating nonconference loss for the third straight season. Last season’s losses to Stony Brook and Wyoming played a large part in them not getting a postseason bid, despite winning 11 games in the SEC. They lost to Illinois State in Game 3 in 2017-18, another year without a postseason berth.

UP NEXT

Boston: The Terriers head to West Virginia Friday before heading to Mexico to finish the Cancun Challenge. The Terriers will play two games there.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks host Gardner-Webb Friday before going to Mexico. There they will face Wichita State, led by coach Gregg Marshall, a native South Carolinian who attended South Carolina basketball camps as a youngster.