Pakistan separatist militants BLA deny involvement in attack on mines
Columbus was a Sephardic Jew from Western Europe, study finds
Legislative majorities giving one party all the power are in play in several states
Biden will survey Hurricane Milton damage in Florida, Harris attends church in North Carolina
Israeli tanks deepen their push into the northern Gaza Strip
South African former finance minister Tito Mboweni dies at 65
Vietnam, China sign 10 deals including agri trade to payment as leaders meet
Ohtani gives hope to young baseball players in Japan, and the rest of the country, too
Ariana Grande hosts 'SNL' for the first time since the last female presidential nominee
Nussmeier throws late TD passes, No. 13 LSU rallies to beat No. 9 Ole Miss 29-26 in overtime
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ta'Lon Cooper hit a critical 3-pointer with 40 seconds left and scored 18 points, and B.J. Mack added 16 points to lead South Carolina to a 63-59 victory over No. 5 Tennessee on Tuesday night.
Myles Stute scored 13 points for the Gamecocks (18-3, 6-2 Southeastern Conference), who have beaten the conference's two highest-ranked teams. They knocked off No. 10 Kentucky on Jan. 23.
Dalton Knecht scored 12 points in the final three minutes and finished with 31 points, and Santiago Vescovi added 10 points for the Volunteers (15-5, 5-2), who had won four straight games and 11 of their last 12 entering the game.
South Carolina led by three points with 30 seconds left when Stute hit two free throws. Knecht hit a 3-pointer with 5 seconds remaining that cut the Tennessee deficit to two points. Stute hit two more free throws with 4 seconds left to seal the win.
Tennessee shot 36% (21 for 58) from the field and 24% (5 for 21) from 3-point distance.
South Carolina handled Tennessee's aggressive defense in the first half and led 30-26 at the break.
Cooper had 10 points and Mack nine for the Gamecocks in the first half. Knecht had 13 points to pace Tennessee which shot 2 for 11 (18%) from long distance.
The Gamecocks had a 21-19 rebounding edge and limited Tennessee to 36% (12 for 33) shooting to build its lead in the first half.
THE TAKEAWAY
South Carolina: Nine new players on the roster have given the Gamecocks new life after struggling to an 11-21 record a year ago. … Coach Lamont Paris has brought the group together quickly and the Gamecocks have responded with a great start to their season.
Tennessee: Vescovi established a program record when he made his 130th start. … The Vols had their 13-game home winning streak snapped, 11 of those have come this season.
NEXT UP
South Carolina: The Gamecocks get their shot at revenge when they host Georgia on Saturday. The Bulldogs won by five points on Jan. 16.
Tennessee: The Vols will have another tough game Saturday when they visit No. 10 Kentucky.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
___
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
