Stetson Hatters vs South Carolina Gamecocks Box Score on Dec 30, 2019

Christiaan Jones scored 18 points in his hometown as Stetson earned its first win over a power conference team in nine years with a 63-56 victory at South Carolina on Monday afternoon in Columbia, S.C.

Jones, a junior guard who attended nearby Cardinal Newman High School, made 10 of 13 free throws as the Hatters (6-9) outscored the Gamecocks 24-12 from the foul line. Senior guard Jahlil Rawley added 16 points, with half of those coming from the charity stripe.

South Carolina (8-5) made just 12 of 24 from the line, missing 8 of 16 free throws in the second half to keep it from getting any closer than two points after trailing by as many as 13 after intermission.

Stetson led 33-26 at the half and built the edge to 42-29 with 14:42 left thanks to a four-point possession after South Carolina sophomore guard T.J. Moss committed an intentional foul.

South Carolina went on a 9-0 run to get within 51-49 with 5:25 left on a 3-pointer by junior forward Justin Minaya.

The Gamecocks missed their first eight 3-pointers and finished 4 of 19 from beyond the arc. They shot 37.0 percent overall from the field and were unable to solve Stetson's zone or capitalize on foul trouble to the Hatters' frontcourt.

South Carolina only made two more field goals after Minaya's three, while Stetson made seven of its final 10 free throws to clinch the victory.

Senior forward Maik Kotsar was the only Gamecock to score in double digits, contributing 11 points before fouling out with 12 seconds left.

Stetson, picked to finish last in the Atlantic Sun Conference, won its first game over a power foe since beating Wake Forest in November 2010. The Hatters' last win over a SEC team came in December 1994 at Georgia.

South Carolina, which had won at Clemson and defending champion Virginia in its previous two games, fell to 5-3 at home ahead of its SEC opener against visiting Florida on Jan. 7.

--Field Level Media