RJ Felton scored 21 points and shot 13-8 as East Carolina defeated South Carolina 64-56 at the Greenville Winter Invitational on Saturday.
East Carolina (8-4) has won three of their last four games, following a two-game losing streak. South Carolina (5-6) continued to lose games, dropping below .500 for the third time this season.
The Pirates built a 12-0 lead and didn’t trail. Felton led 23-10 as he scored a 3-pointer 20 seconds apart nine minutes before halftime. East Carolina had seven of his 3-pointers en route to her advantage at halftime, 37-18.
The Gamecocks came within 12 on an 8-0 run after Ezra Ausar threw a dunk to give East Carolina a 42-22 lead. A Meechee Johnson layup with 4:01 left gave South Carolina a 53-46 lead, but they couldn’t come close.
Javon Small scored 12 points in East Carolina and finished 22-for-44 shooting.
Hayden Brown scored 15 points in South Carolina, while Gregory Jackson II and Johnson each scored 13 points.
The two teams split the 12 games played in the series. The last matchup between the two took place on December 20, 2004, with the Gamecocks winning him 57–53. Before Saturday, the Pirates defeated the Gamecocks for the last time in his Dec. 19, 1998, 56-34 win.
East Carolina is currently 7-21 all-time against SEC teams. Entering Saturday, he last saw ECU defeat his SEC opponent in his 2002-03 season, over Ole Miss, where he won 65-58.
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