Second Half Surge Puts Gamecocks Past PC

COLUMBIA, S.C. (Associated Press) — Bruce Ellington scored 15 points off the bench to help South Carolina rally from a double-digit deficit in the first half and defeat Presbyterian 66-58 Tuesday night. South Carolina (5-4) was just 7 of 29 from the field in the first half (24.1 percent), before shooting 70.4 percent in the second (19 of 27). Ellington, a wide receiver for the Gamecocks football team, played in just his third game of the season, going 6 of 14 from the field with three assists, a steal and only two turnovers in 25 minutes. He was the Gamecocks’ leading scorer in 2010-11. Malik Cooke added 14 points and Anthony Gill contributed 10 points and eight rebounds for South Carolina. The Gamecocks made 9 of 10 shots to open the second half for their first lead, and never trailed after Ellington’s three-point play with 15:37 remaining. Khalid Mutakabbir led Presbyterian (4-5) with 15 points.