Jujuan Johnson – Photo Courtesy of Marquette Athletics
The last time South Carolina had won an NCAA Tournament game was March 17, 1973. The Gamecocks 44-year drought is over after Friday night’s 93-73 win over the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first-round of play in the East Region in Greenville, South Carolina.
Marquette (19-13) led by as many as 10 points in the first half, hitting eight three-pointers, but South Carolina used an 11-0 run midway through the second half to take control.
Marquette committed a season-high 18 turnovers, including 12 in the second half. The Gamecocks turned those turnovers into 25 points.
South Carolina’s win spoiled a made-for-TV second-round matchup between Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and his former Blue Devils point guard and longtime assistant, Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski. Now, its South Carolina that will square off against Duke on Sunday.
Jujuan Johnson had 16 points to lead Marquette in the loss.