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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) –  scored 25 points including a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 43.4 seconds to play as No. 18 ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ rallied for an 82-76 victory over No. 24 Florida on Saturday.

The Gamecocks (24-5, 12-4 Southeastern Conference) trailed 56-46 with 12 minutes to play, but behind Johnson and  turned things around with a 26-12 surge in front of a cheering crowd. They kept themselves in the chase for an SEC title, a game behind co-leaders No. 4 Tennessee and No. 14 Alabama when the day started.

The Gators (20-9, 10-6) had relied on strong defense to build their second-half lead, but could not contain Johnson, the team’s top scorer this season. His driving layup with five minutes to play gave ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ its first lead since early in the game, 65-63, and he followed with a pair of tie-breaking shots including his 3.

Florida tied things at 74-all with 1:12 left on .’s sixth 3-pointer before Johnson struck for the game-winner.

Murray-Boyles, a freshman, finished with his first career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

 had 16 points, 12 in the first half, to keep ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ close enough to rally down the stretch.

Clayton had 20 points and  scored 18 for the Gators.

KEY STAT

• ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ erased a nine-point deficit over the final 11:29 of regulation to secure their 12^th SEC victory of the season. The Gamecocks forced eight turnovers out of the 1-3-1 defense and shot 53.3 percent (8-for-15) over the final 11:29 of play.

NOTABLES

• Junior guard Meechie Johnson led all scorers with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting. It marks back-to-back 20 plus performances and the 13^th time he’s led the Gamecocks in scoring. Carolina improves to 10-3 over the last two seasons when Johnson scores 20 or more.
• Freshman forward Collin Murray-Boyles collected his first career double-double scoring 15 points, adding 11 rebounds to lead the Garnet & Black on the glass. It marks back-to-back games he has secured 10 or more rebounds, and he recorded a new career-high nine made free throws shooting 90.0 percent (9-for-10) at the charity stripe today.
• Over his last eight games, Murray-Boyles is averaging 16.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. He’s 53-of-77 from the floor (68.8 percent) and 24-of-28 at the free throw line (85.7 percent).
• Junior guard Jacobi Wright had 16 critical points (12 in the first half) including four triples. Carolina improves to 8-0 in games this season when he scores 10 or more.
• Graduate guard Ta’Lon Cooper led ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ in passing for the 20^th game this season, dishing out four helpers. Cooper entered 8^th in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.51:1) and fourth in the SEC in assists per game averaging (4.4) per contest. Cooper added 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, knocking down three triples.
• Carolina has had 13 single-digit turnover games this season which sets a new program record since joining the SEC in 1991-92. The 2007-08 team had 12 games with single-digit giveaways, which was the most by a Gamecock team prior.
• Sophomore guard Zachary Davis was vital on the defensive end for ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ leading the Gamecocks at the top of their 1-3-1 defense. Davis forced two key steals down the stretch of regulation and added eight points, making all six of his foul shots.
• Carolina is now 15-3 in games decided by 10 or less points this season with the only losses at No. 24/20 Clemson, vs. Georgia on Jan. 16 and vs. LSU on Feb. 17.
• The win gives the Gamecocks 12 SEC wins, which ties the 2016-17 team for the second most SEC wins all-time at Carolina. This year marks the eighth time the Gamecocks have won 10 or more SEC games.
• Head coach Lamont Paris now has 24 wins this season, the most by a second-year head coach in program history. George Felton is second behind Paris with 19 wins in his second season (1987-88).
• Twenty-four victories is now T-4th most in program history for a single season with the 1971-72 and 1996-97 teams.
• The victory today is the team’s third straight and its third win over a top-25 opponent this season (all in SEC play). The Gamecocks were 3-17 against top-25 opponents the last four seasons and are 3-2 against ranked teams this year.

UP NEXT

Carolina (23-5, 12-4 SEC) remains home for another top-25 matchup against the No. 4/4 Tennessee Volunteers (22-6, 12-3 SEC) on Wednesday night. Tom Hart (pxp) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst) will be on the call again for the ESPN2 broadcast. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. (ET) with doors opening 1 hour prior.

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