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Muldrow leads South Carolina over No. 22 Vandy in OT

Jan 9, 2011 - 3:36 AM Columbia, SC (Sports Network) - Bruce Ellington scored a team-high 22 points and Sam Muldrow posted an unlikely triple-double, and South Carolina held Vanderbilt to one field goal in overtime to earn an 83-75 comeback victory over the 22nd-ranked Commodores in the SEC opener for both schools.

Muldrow was exceptional on both sides of the ball, finishing with 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks for the Gamecocks (10-4, 1-0 SEC), who trailed by 14 early in the second half before rallying for their third win in four tries.

"Can't say enough about Sam Muldrow getting a triple-double the hard way, with blocks. Keep in mind he picked up his fourth foul before the four-minute timeout," South Carolina head coach Darrin Horn said. "Sam obviously stands out, but collectively we're really proud of our guys who played well against a good Vanderbilt team.

John Jenkins ended with 27 points to lead Vanderbilt (11-3, 0-1), which had a four-game winning streak snapped.

The Commodores led by double digits for most of the second half, and the margin was 63-52 after a Jenkins three-pointer with under nine minutes to go.

The Gamecocks then made their move, scoring eight straight points over the next three minutes, as Ellington's three pulled the hosts within 63-60.

It remained close, and another deep make from Ellington tied the game at 72 at the 2:09 mark.

Following a Jeffery Taylor turnover with under a minute left, Muldrow missed an open three from the left wing, allowing Vanderbilt to hold for the last possession.

Taylor missed a deep fall-away with time winding down, and the game went to an extra five minutes after the Commodores failed to score off an inbounds pass with 0.3 seconds left.

Ellington got a runner to fall to open the overtime scoring, giving South Carolina its first lead of the game. Muldrow added two free throws, and Malik Cooke laid in a deuce off a nice pass from Ellington for a 78-72 advantage two minutes in.

Jenkins made a deep try coming out of a timeout, but Muldrow answered with a three-ball of his own. The 6-foot-9 senior then swatted a driving Brad Tinsley, and the Gamecocks held on from there.

"We kind of got out-played, out-fought that last eight minute(s) or so in the second half and the rest of the game, including the overtime," Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings said. "Even when we were ahead I didn't like our look and our demeanor. They played with more energy than we did. They deserved to win and they did."

Vanderbilt led 37-30 at halftime and went up 48-34 on a Steve Tchiengang jumper 5:21 into the second half.

Game Notes

South Carolina now leads the all-time series, 24-23...Taylor chipped in 14 points for Vandy, which got nine points and 14 rebounds from Lance Goulbourne...Lakeem Jackson and Ramon Galloway added 15 and 12 points, respectively, for the Gamecocks, who owned a 40-30 edge in points in the paint...Cooke chipped in eight points and 13 boards in the win.