WASHINGTON D.C., DC — WASHINGTON (AP) — Meechie Johnson hit a long 3-pointer with 25.9 seconds to go and Georgetown missed two 3s in the closing seconds and South Carolina rallied to defeat the Hoyas 74-71 in overtime on Saturday.
After Jay Heath made two free throws for Georgetown to tie the game at 71 with 52.7 seconds left, South Carolina put up a 3 from the left corner but Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk snagged the rebound and found Johnson on the right wing.
South Carolina (4-4) rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit behind GG Jackson, who scored all 22 of his points after halftime. Johnson had 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Hayden Brown added 16 points and matched Jackson’s eight rebounds.
Heath had 23 points to lead the Hoyas (4-5), who have been outscored by 67 points in the second half of their five losses. Primo Spears added 18 points and Brandon Murray 13.
It was a wild finish at regulation. After South Carolina missed the front end of a one-and-one with 24 seconds left, Spears had a mean cross-over outside the left elbow that led to a pull-up jumper at the foul line to give Georgetown a 65-64 lead at 5.6 seconds.
South Carolina threw the ball away on a long pass. However, after lengthy review, it was determined that Heath pulled Brown’s jersey, keeping him from reaching the throw. A flagrant-two foul call led to free throws for Brown at 3.8 seconds and he made 1 of 2 to tie it.
On the ensuing possession, Jackson missed a 10-foot turnaround jumper as time expired.
South Carolina shot 32% and had 10 turnovers to trail 37-26 at the half. Jackson came to life with two quick buckets and at one point scored 11-straight before Johnson hit a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game with 5:25 to play.
After a Georgetown turnover, Jackson fed Brown for a layup to put the Gamecocks up 62-61, their first lead since 10-7. Another turnover led to a Jacobi Wright basket for a 64-61 lead. But Murray scored with 1:02 to play and the then Spears gave the Hoyas the lead.
Georgetown is home against Siena on Wednesday, South Carolina has a week off before hosting Presbyterian on Dec. 11.