National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
South Carolina 57, Wofford 45
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Where: The Colonial Center Arena, Columbia, South Carolina
Officials: # Ed Corbett, # Don Daily, # Doug Sirmons
Attendance: 8152

Bruce Ellington and Damien Leonard came off the bench to score 17 and 14 points, respectively, as host South Carolina defeated Wofford 57-45 on Wednesday.

Ellington, who Thursday morning will fly to Orlando to join the South Carolina football team in preparation for the Capital One Bowl, was 5-of-6 on 3-point attempts, while Leonard knocked down 4-of-6 for the Gamecocks (6-6).

Wofford (7-6) got to within 41-37 when Karl Cochran got the last of his team-high 12 points on a 3-pointer before South Carolina’s leading scorer, Malik Cooke, scored his only points on a three-point play and Ellington followed with a pair of free throws to stretch the lead to nine with 7:10 left.

The Gamecocks came into the game 10th in the SEC in 3-point shooting, but were 6-of-12 from behind the arc as part of their 11-for-20 night.

Wofford took its largest lead of the game at 17-13 on a basket by Aerris Smith, but it was all Gamecocks over the final seven minutes. Ellington hit three 3-pointers and R.J. Slawson added another as part of a 16-4, half-ending run that sent the hosts into the locker room up 29-21.
Top Game Performances
 
Wofford   South Carolina
Karl Cochran 12 Scoring Bruce Ellington 17
Brad Loesing 5 Assists Lakeem Jackson 4
Drew Crowell 7 Rebounds Anthony Gill 8
Lee Skinner 2 Free Throws Made Bruce Ellington 2
Karl Cochran 2 Steals Malik Cooke 2
Brad Loesing 1 Blocks Damontre Harris 5
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Wofford 45 36.0 5-19 4-10 10 31 1 4 14
South Carolina 57 44.4 11-20 6-10 14 23 7 6 13