COLUMBIA (AP) – Michael Carrera had a career high 34 points and 15 rebounds and South Carolina outlasted Mississippi State 84-74 on Tuesday night.
The Gamecocks (18-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) bounced back from a weekend loss at Tennessee and used Carrera’s stellar showing to avoid their first back-to-back losses this season.
Not that it was easy. The Bulldogs (8-11, 1-6) whittled a 14-point second-half deficit to 55-53 on I.J. Ready’s 3-pointer with 9:13 to play. That’s when Carrera fueled a 10-4 run with a 3-pointer, another basket and a three-point play to rebuild South Carolina’s lead.
Carrera, a senior, made 10 of 16 field goals and 12 of 15 foul shots. He also had three of South Carolina’s seven blocks.
Sindarius Thornwell added 15 points for South Carolina.
Ready had 20 points to lead the Bulldogs, who have lost six of their past seven.
