AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Filip Jovic scored a career-high 23 points and Auburn held off South Carolina in the final seconds to beat the Gamecocks 71-67 on Saturday night.
Auburn led by six points at halftime and maintained that lead throughout the second half. Back-to-back dunks by Sebastian Williams-Adams and Jovich gave the Tigers their first double-digit lead of the game, 60-49, with about five minutes left.
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Mike Sharavjamts hit two free throws and Kobe Knox drove in a layup to pull the Gamecocks to 62-57 with 1:20 left, and Kevin Overton’s 3-pointer with 53 seconds left put Auburn ahead 65-57. USC twice cut the deficit to three, the second time on Sharaf Jamz’s layup with 17 seconds left.
After Keyshawn Hall made two free throws, USC’s Meechie Johnson hit a three-pointer to make it 69-67 with 4 seconds left. Overton then made two free throws to seal the victory.
Jovic, a freshman from Bosnia and Herzegovina, scored in double figures for the fourth time this season, making 9 of 12 shots and 5 of 8 free throws. Keshawn Murphy and Williams-Adams each scored 11 points for the Tigers (11-7, 2-3 SEC), who defeated South Carolina for the 10th consecutive time.
South Carolina’s Johnson scored 17 points, Sharavijamz 13 points, Knox 12 points and Elijah Strong 10 points (10-8, 1-4).
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Although the Tigers made 7 of their first 8 shots, they still led 12-8 eight minutes into the game. Johnson’s three-pointer allowed South Carolina to chase the score to 21-19, but Tahad Pettiford and Jovic hit consecutive three-pointers to widen the difference to 8 points. At halftime, Auburn led 30-24.
Next
South Carolina: Host Oklahoma State on Tuesday.
Auburn: Play at Mississippi State on Tuesday.
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