ATHENS — Kario Oquendo scored all eight of Georgia’s overtime points and the Bulldogs beat South Carolina 81-78 on Saturday, snapping a 12-game losing streak to the Gamecocks.
Oquendo made 10 of 15 from the line and finished with 16 points. Mardrez McBride made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points to lead Georgia (14-7, 4-4). Frank Anselem had 12 points and Terry Roberts 10.
Jacobi Wright hit a 3-pointer to give the Gamecocks (8-13, 1-7 SEC) a two-point lead in overtime before Oquendo answered with a transition layup and four free throws for a four-point lead, Georgia’s largest, with 2:25 remaining.
Trailing by two, South Carolina’s Gregory “GG” Jackson missed the second of two free throws, Oquendo was fouled grabbing the rebound and he made 1 of 2 at the line. Jackson then missed a desperation turnaround 3-pointer that bounced off the back of the rim.
Jackson scored 18 points with nine rebounds for the Gamecocks and Hayden Brown had 17 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out late in regulation. Wright made four 3-pointers and scored 13 points, Chico Carter Jr. hit four 3-pointers for his 12 points and Meechie Johnson added 11.
Georgia had not beaten South Carolina since March 11, 2016 in the SEC tournament and it didn’t look like they would Saturday after trailing by 10 with 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation. But the Bulldogs tied it with a 10-0 run and a game with 13 lead changes and 10 ties remained tight.
Jackson finger-rolled in a basket going down the paint with 30 seconds left to tie at 73-all. Oquendo missed a baseline 3-pointer with five seconds left and the Bulldogs avoided a loss when Josh Davis took a long pass with a path to the basket only to have a hustling McBride strip the ball from him.
Brown and Jackson combined for 25 points in the first half when South Carolina took a 37-35 lead as Roberts and Oquendo, the Bulldogs’ top two scorers, went without points.
The Gamecocks made 13 of 31 3-point tries for 42% against the nation’s 13th-ranked defense from the arc but were undone by 18 turnovers, 12 coming in the second half against Georgia’s pressure defense.
Georgia snapped a three-game losing streak. The Gamecocks have lost five straight.
Georgia plays at Auburn on Wednesday.
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