AUBURN, Ala. — Sindarius Thornwell scored a season-high 22 points and No. 22 South Carolina fought off a second-half challenge to beat Auburn 81-69 on Tuesday night in the Gamecocks’ Southeastern Conference opener.
Sporting their highest AP ranking in 18 years, the Gamecocks (14-0, 1-0) lost most of an 18-point first-half lead before building it back with inside baskets and foul shots.
Thornwell made 5 of 8 3-point attempts and produced his season-high point total for the second straight game after scoring 18 against Memphis.
Laimonas Chatkevicius added 12 points and 10 rebounds for South Carolina.