Collin Murray-Boyles scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lift South Carolina to a 70-60 win over Virginia Tech in the Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach Division consolation championship Wednesday night in Fort Myers, Fla.
Morris Ugusuk played a key role, scoring 12 off the bench on 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, while fellow reserve Zachary Davis also chipped in 12 points with seven rebounds as the Gamecocks (4-3) avoided a second consecutive loss.
Virginia Tech (3-4) lost its fourth straight game despite having four scorers in double figures. Jaydon Young led the Hokies with 12 points, Jaden Schutt scored 11 and Tobi Lawal and Brandon Rechsteiner each added 10.
South Carolina and Virginia Tech traded buckets to open the second half before the Gamecocks got the lead back to 11 with 14:13 to play following a 6-0 run.
The Hokies responded with the next eight points to close within 44-41 and forced a South Carolina timeout after Patrick Wessler’s fastbreak layup with 12:14 left.
South Carolina regrouped and soon led 52-43 with 8:30 remaining after Jordan Butler (six points) hit his second 3-pointer, drilling a shot from up top. The Gamecocks held on from there and improved to 5-0 on a neutral floor against the Hokies.
Sharp 3-point shooting helped stake South Carolina to an 18-9 lead near the midway point of the first half.
Ugusuk hit two of those shots from distance, his second coming with 11:03 to go in the half as the Gamecocks surged in front by nine.
A layup by Murray-Boyles extended the South Carolina lead to 20-10, their first double-digit advantage of the night.
Virginia Tech responded with a 5-0 run before Ugusuk knocked down his third 3-pointer, stretching the lead to 23-15 with 5:50 remaining.
Ben Burnham’s shot from beyond the arc cut the Hokies’ deficit to 25-20 with 3:45 to play. That was one of only two 3-pointers Virginia Tech made in the first half. The Gamecocks connected six times from long range to carry a 33-25 lead into the break.
South Carolina finished 11-of-32 from 3-point range (34.4 percent), while the Hokies shot 8-of-18 from deep (44.4 percent).
