Denzel Aberdeen scored a game-high 19 points and visiting Kentucky pulled away late for a 72-63 victory over South Carolina in a Southeastern Conference clash in Columbia, S.C.
The Wildcats picked up a critical victory, snapping a three-game losing streak and improving to 18-10 overall and 9-6 in the SEC.
Kentucky’s Mouhamed Dioubate scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half and Andrija Jelavic added 11 points. Seven-footer Malachi Moreno sparked the Wildcats with eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
South Carolina (12-16, 3-12), which has lost eight of nine, was led by Meechie Johnson, who tallied 18 points and added six assists.
The Wildcats dominated the offensive glass, hauling down 18 rebounds on that end and outscoring the Gamecocks 14-4 on second-chance opportunities. Kentucky’s overall rebounding edge was 48-28.
The Gamecocks started the second half on 7-0 run to tie the game at 28-all and knotted the score on three more occasions in the final 20 minutes. Elijah Strong scored all 11 of his points in the second half and knocked down a short jumper to knot the score at 48-all with 8:28 left.
But an Otega Oweh uncontested driving layup 22 seconds later ignited a 9-2 Wildcats run and the visitors led 57-50 at the 4:38 mark.
The scrappy Gamecocks had one more run in them. Mike Sharavjamts (12 points) knocked down a 3-pointer to slice the deficit to 59-57 with 2:52 remaining.
However, Moreno hit a layup on the next possession and Collin Chandler (10 points) buried a deep left-wing 3-pointer to restore the lead to seven.
Neither team reached 40% shooting from the floor as Kentucky hit 26 of 66 (39.4%), while South Carolina countered with 21 of 57 (36.8%).
Oweh’s streak of 30 consecutive games in double figures was halted as he scored eight points. His previous season low was 10 points vs. Bellarmine on Dec. 23.
The Gamecocks knocked down four early attempts from beyond the arc and took a 15-9 lead with 10:54 remaining in the first half. But, sparked by a trio of 3-pointers by Aberdeen, the Wildcats went on a 13-0 run and turned the deficit into a 22-15 advantage.
South Carolina did not score over a span of 5:07, finishing the half at 25% (7 of 28) from the floor.
Aberdeen scored a game-high 11 first-half points as Kentucky went to halftime with a 28-21 lead.
