South Carolina Keeps Kentucky From Clinching SEC Eastern Title

Emmett Hall stood alone in victory after being left alone under the basket for the winning basket.

Hall’s layup from the right side with three seconds to go gave South Carolina a 75-74 victory over No. 7 Kentucky on Saturday, preventing the Wildcats from clinching the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title.

Afterward, Hall jumped atop a chair and stretched out his arms to relish the Gamecocks’ victory.

“I just remember thinking, ‘The game is over,’ ” Hall said.

Hall, a senior, finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds and Donnie Mathews had all 14 of his points in the second half for South Carolina (8-18, 4-12), which beat a ranked team for the first time since defeating Temple on Dec. 8, 1990.

Rodrick Rhodes had 24 points to lead Kentucky (23-6, 12-4), which saw its five-game winning streak end.

The Wildcats shot only 38.6% and were held to their second-lowest point total this season.

“We didn’t play as well as we were capable of, but still they played great basketball,” said Travis Ford, held to six points for Kentucky. “I just didn’t lead this team like I should have.”