South Carolina senior guard Duane Notice scored 15 points and ignited a second-half surge as the Gamecocks smashed Tennessee 82-55 on Saturday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.

Sophomore guard P.J. Dozier finished with 19 points, and senior guard Sindarius Thornwell added 15 points for the Gamecocks (21-8, 11-5 SEC), who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Senior guard Robert Hubbs III scored 16 points to lead the Volunteers (15-14, 7-9), who dropped their second straight game and are in need of a strong finish to the regular season and a deep run in the SEC tournament to have any chance at a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Gamecocks started hot and looked like they might put away the Volunteers in the first half. Notice hit a 3-pointer that gave South Carolina a 27-9 lead with 8:18 left in the first half.

Tennessee found its rhythm, though, and closed out the half with an 8-1 run. Shembari Phillips hit a 3-pointer and Grant Williams had a dunk during the run. The Vols trailed 38-30 at halftime.

South Carolina regained the momentum early in the second half, with Notice hitting back-to-back 3-pointers.

Minutes later, Rakym Felder hit a 3-pointer from the corner to put the Gamecocks up 60-42 midway through the second half. Tennessee never seriously challenged down the stretch.

Williams finished with eight points and eight rebounds for the Volunteers, who shot just 33.3 percent from the field and turned it over 20 times.

The Gamecocks entered the weekend as the No. 4 seed in the SEC tournament and, with two games left in the regular season, appear to be comfortably in the NCAA Tournament field. South Carolina hosts Mississippi State on Tuesday, before wrapping up the regular season at Ole Miss on March 4.

The Volunteers travel to LSU on Wednesday.