Gamecocks hand Gators 2nd straight loss

Tarence Kinsey had 19 points and South Carolina ended a nine-game losing streak to No. 5 Florida with a 68-62 victory Wednesday night in Columbus, S.C., the Gators’ second straight loss after opening the season with 17 wins.

The Gators (17-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) failed to extend the best start in school history with their 80-76 loss to Tennessee last Saturday.

At first, the Gators looked eager to take their first loss out on the Gamecocks (11-8, 2-4) as Joakim Noah had three quick inside baskets to put Florida ahead 15-6. But South Carolina followed with a 20-6 run to take control.

(1) Connecticut 66, St. John’s 50: Rudy Gay had 20 points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots and two steals and the Huskies (17-1, 5-1 Big East) survived their first test as the top-ranked team in a victory over the Red Storm (10-7, 3-3) at Storrs, Conn.

(8) Illinois 77, Minnesota 53: Dee Brown scored 17 points and freshman Jamar Smith had 16 as the Fighting Illini (18-2, 4-2 Big Ten) extended their home winning streak to a school-record 32 games with a victory over the Golden Gophers (9-8, 0-6) in Champaign, Ill.

Marshall 58, (9) West Virginia 52: Mark Patton had 16 points and 10 rebounds and the Thundering Herd (8-9) beat the Mountaineers (14-4) in Charleston, W.Va., to end the nation’s longest winning streak at 12 games.

Michigan 72, (11) Michigan State 67: Daniel Horton scored 23 points and the Wolverines (14-3, 4-2 Big Ten) defeated the Spartans (15-5, 3-3) in Ann Arbor, Mich. It was only Michigan’s second win in the last 14 games of the rivalry.

(14) George Washington 94, Duquesne 78: Pops Mensah-Bonsu scored a career-high 29 points and the Colonials (15-1, 5-0 Atlantic 10) shook off a sluggish first 30 minutes to beat the reeling Dukes (2-15, 0-6) in Pittsburgh.

Seton Hall 83, (15) North Carolina State 65: At Raleigh, N.C., Donald Copeland had 22 points, Kelly Whitney added 17 and the Pirates (11-6) handed the Wolfpack (15-4) their first home loss of the season.

(18) Maryland 86, Georgia Tech 74: Nik Caner-Medley scored a career-high 33 points and the Terrapins (14-4, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) shook off the loss of their leading scorer for a victory over the Yellow Jackets (9-8, 2-4) in Atlanta.

Gary Williams tied Lefty Driesell as the winningest coach in Maryland history.

Earlier in the week, Chris McCray was suspended from the team for academic reasons, ending his college career. He was not only Maryland’s top scorer (15.2 points) but its defensive catalyst.

(19) Tennessee 88, Mississippi State 65: C.J. Watson scored 19 points and the Volunteers (13-3, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) routed the Bulldogs (11-8, 1-5) in Starkville, Miss.

“The SEC fined Tennessee $5,000 after fans rushed the court following the Volunteers’ 80-76 upset win Saturday over then-No. 2 Florida.

(20) Boston College 81, North Carolina 74: Craig Smith scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to help the Eagles (15-4, 3-3 ACC) hold off the Tar Heels (11-5, 3-3) in Chapel Hill, N.C.

(22) Louisville 67, Cincinnati 50: Taquan Dean, who missed all but 12 minutes of Louisville’s last five games with a sprained ankle, scored 16 points as the Cardinals (14-5, 2-4 Big East) snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over the Bearcats (14-6, 3-3) in Louisville, Ky.

(23) Wisconsin 72, Penn State 43: Alando Tucker scored 17 points and the Badgers (15-4, 5-1 Big Ten) snapped a two-game losing streak with a victory over the Nittany Lions (10-7, 2-4) in Madison, Wis.

(24) Oklahoma 82, Baylor 52: Michael Neal and Terrell Everett combined for 23 points in the first half and the Sooners (12-4, 3-2 Big 12) rolled to a win over the Bears (0-5, 0-5) in Waco, Texas.

Pac-10

Hassan Adams had 21 points and six steals, and Mustafa Shakur scored 17 points, leading the Arizona Wildcats (13-6, 6-3 Pac-10) to an 80-70 win over the Arizona State Sun Devils (7-11, 1-8) in Tempe, Ariz.

Ivan Radenovic had 13 points and Marcus Williams 11 in the victory, Arizona’s 21st in 22 games against the Sun Devils.

Women

Sophia Young had 17 points and 11 rebounds, Angela Tisdale added 17 points and No. 9 Baylor (14-3, 4-3 Big 12) shot 11 of 23 from 3-point range to beat Iowa State (12-5, 3-3) 79-64 in Ames, Iowa.

(12) DePaul 48, Louisville 44: Allie Quigley had 17 points and nine rebounds, leading the Demon Deacons (18-2, 5-2 Big East) over the Cardinals (13-5, 4-3) in Chicago. … (13) Oklahoma 75, Texas 57: Freshman Courtney Paris had a career-high 32 points and 16 rebounds for her 12th straight double-double to lead the Sooners (16-4, 6-0 Big 12) past the Longhorns (10-7, 4-3) in Norman, Okla. … (18) New Mexico 76, San Diego State 45: Dionne Marsh scored 18 points and the Lobos (15-4, 5-1 Mountain West Conference) tied their season high with nine 3-pointers in a win over the Aztecs (3-14, 0-7) in Albuquerque, N.M. … (20) BYU 67, TCU 64: Ambrosia Anderson scored 24 points, including six 3-pointers, and had a team-high 10 rebounds to help lead the Cougars (16-1, 6-0 MWC) past the Horned Frogs (10-7, 4-2) in Fort Worth, Texas.