COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Michael Carrera had a career high 34 points and 15 rebounds and South Carolina outlasted Mississippi State 84-74 on Tuesday night.
The Gamecocks (18-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) bounced back from a weekend loss at Tennessee and used Carrera's stellar showing to avoid their first back-to-back losses this season.
Not that it was easy. The Bulldogs (8-11, 1-6) whittled a 14-point second-half deficit to 55-53 on I.J. Ready's 3-pointer with 9:13 to play. That's when Carrera fueled a 10-4 run with a 3-pointer, another basket and a three-point play to rebuild South Carolina's lead.