Thornwell leads South Carolina to 94-83 win over LSU

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Sindarius Thornwell scored 24 points, and Michael Carrera had 14 of his 16 points in the second half as South Carolina gained a share of first place in the Southeastern Conference, holding off Ben Simmons and LSU 94-83 on Wednesday night.

Simmons put on another dazzling display with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists. Yet, the Gamecocks used a 17-8 run in the second half fueled by freshmen PJ Dozier and Raymond Doby to take control after LSU had tied the game at 60-all.

The Tigers (15-9, 8-3) got as close as 85-81 after Simmons' foul shot in the final minute. But the Gamecocks (21-3, 8-3) made 7-of-8 foul shots after that to seal things and move into a first-place tie in the SEC with the Tigers and No. 22 Kentucky - South Carolina's next opponent here Saturday.

Antonio Blakeney had 22 points to lead the Tigers.