COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Marcus Johnson had 20 points, six assists and five steals as South Carolina Gamecocks cruised by Saint Peter's Peacocks 77-41 on Tuesday night.

The Gamecocks are 3-0 for the second consecutive season and third time in head coach Lamont Paris' five years.

South Carolina shot 47% overall, including 60% from beyond the arc, and made 26 of 34 attempts from the free-throw line.

Aleksas Bieliauskas scored 11 points, nine of them in the first half, and Davion Hannah had 10 along with six rebounds.

The Gamecocks had multiple 9-0 runs in the first half and held the Peacocks to just 17 points on the way to a 20-point halftime lead. They opened the second on an 11-0 run, and added two more 9-0 runs on their way to a rout.

Xavier Thomas scored 15 for the Peacocks (0-4) and Bryce Eaton had 10. Saint Peter's struggled shooting, with 26% and 18% marks from the field and from deep, respectively.

South Carolina's win evened the series at one game each. The two programs last met on January 16th, 1990, a 57-56 Peacocks win in Jersey City.

Saint Peter's: at UMas Lowell on Tuesday.

South Carolina: vs. Gardner-Webb on Saturday for their fourth straight home game.

---

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full men’s basketball coverage here

Copyright 2026 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.