IRVINE, Calif. (AP)—Adam Templeton scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead UC Irvine past South Carolina, 67-52, on Tuesday.
South Carolina, the NIT champion the past two seasons, was the first Southeastern Conference school to play in Irvine.
Brandis Raley-Ross led the Gamecocks with 14 points off the bench, and Bryce Sheldon scored 12 points.
Raley-Ross converted a layup to give South Carolina a 16-15 lead with 7:02 left in the first half, but Irvine went on a 15-3 run to lead 30-19 at halftime.
The Anteaters got their largest lead of the night when Marcus McIntosh hit a three-pointer to put UCI up 41-21 with about 15 minutes left in the second half.
South Carolina closed to within 10 points several times late in the game, but the Anteaters were 9 of 11 on free throws in the final 1:43 to maintain their double-digit lead.
UCI outrebounded South Carolina 39-34 and shot 46.7 percent from the field to South Carolina’s 35.6 percent.
