South Carolina 82, South Carolina State 75: Brenton Williams scored 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting as the host Gamecocks struggled before defeating the Bulldogs for the 20th consecutive time.

Tyrone Johnson scored 17 points off the bench and Duane Notice had 13 points and eight assists for South Carolina (7-6), which won its fourth straight game. Demetrius Henry added 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Gamecocks, who finally found separation from South Carolina State over the final 6 1/2 minutes.

Matthew Hezekiah scored 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting and Theron Stephens added 15 points for the Bulldogs (4-9). Darryl Palmer tallied 12 points for South Carolina State, which dropped to 1-7 on the road.

The contest was tied with less than seven minutes remaining until South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell hit a 3-pointer to start an 8-1 burst. Two free throws by Notice pushed the lead to 11 points with 41 seconds left as the Gamecocks prevailed.

South Carolina led 44-33 at halftime before Stephens hit consecutive 3-pointers and the Bulldogs pulled within 51-50 on a basket by Adama Adams about 5 1/2 into the half. South Carolina State finally caught the Gamecocks at 60 on a dunk by Devin Joint.

GAME NOTEBOOK: South Carolina learned earlier in the day that PG Bruce Ellington won’t be part of the team after declaring for the NFL Draft. Ellington, who caught 49 passes as a wideout for the football team, averaged 11.3 points in 80 career college basketball games. … South Carolina State has never beaten the Gamecocks. … Williams is averaging 20.3 points over the last three games.