KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jermaine Couisnard scored 20 points, AJ Lawson added 17 points, and South Carolina beat Tulsa 69-58 on Sunday in the Hall of Fame Classic.
South Carolina trailed 51-49 with 10:47 left after Tulsa's 11-3 run. But the Gamecocks answered with a 15-0 spurt —with five points from Lawson — to push their lead into double figures for the rest of the way.
Tulsa went scoreless for nine-plus minutes in the second half, missing 13 consecutive field goals.
Couisnard and Lawson, who led the Gamecocks last season with 13.4 points a game, each made four 3-pointers as South Carolina (1-1) was 9 of 23 from distance. Keyshawn Bryant had his streak of six straight games in double-figure scoring snapped as he finished with two points in 18 minutes.
The teams combined for 44 turnovers.
Brandon Rachal scored 14 points for Tulsa (0-2), and Keyshawn Embery-Simpson and Elijah Joiner each added 11 points. Joiner also grabbed seven rebounds and Embery-Simpson scored all of his points in the first half. Tulsa was just 4 of 17 from 3-point range.
South Carolina is scheduled to play at Houston on Saturday, while Tulsa opens its home schedule against UT Arlington on Friday.
