ST. LOUIS — Chris Silva had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and South Carolina rallied from five points down in the second half to defeat Mississippi 85-84 in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Wednesday night.
Silva was one of five players to score in double figures for the 11th-seeded Gamecocks (17-15), who likely need to win the tournament to have any hope of earning a berth to the NCAA Tournament — where they reached the Final Four last season. The 6-foot-9 sophomore was only 4 of 14 from the field, but he set career highs in free throw makes (13) and attempts (20).