MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Markel Crawford scored a career-high 28 points and Dedric Lawson added 19 points, 15 rebounds and a career-high eight assists to help Memphis beat South Carolina 70-54 on Friday night.
Jimario Rivers added 10 points for Memphis (10-4), which shot 60 percent (9 of 15) in the second half in avenging an 86-78 loss at South Carolina (10-3) last season.
Crawford went 9 of 13 from the field, 10 of 12 from the free-throw line and added six rebounds against a Gamecocks squad that came into the game ranked third nationally in defensive efficiency.
It was Memphis’ first win this season against a top-100 RPI opponent. The Tigers (10-4), coming off a 58-54 home loss to SMU on Tuesday, had been 0-4 against top-100 teams this season.
PJ Dozier had 13 points and Rakym Felder and Justin McKie added 10 apiece to lead the Gamecocks, who shot just 31.6 percent for the game. Senior guard Sindarius Thornwell didn’t play for a sixth straight game due to suspension for a violation of athletic department policy.
