ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) Tashombe Riley scored 13 points, Greg Mortimer added 12, and South Carolina beat winless Florida A&M 70-61 on Saturday to open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play.
Devin Joint scored 10 points, Darryl Plamer had four blocks, and Ty Solomon had seven assists for the Bulldogs (2-5), who outrebounded the Rattlers 38-35.
Jorge Rosa led Florida A&M (0-9) with 20 points, Jermaine Ruttley scored 12, Craig Bowman 11, and Jerran Foster 10.
The lead changed hands five times and the Bulldogs trailed 11-10 early, but pulled to a 40-24 lead at halftime behind Riley, who scored 11 points in the half. The Bulldogs scored 16 points in the paint and 17 points off of turnovers.
A layup by Joint gave South Carolina State a 53-36 lead early in the second half. The Rattlers used a 10-1 run to close within nine points, 68-59, with 1:20 to play, but got no closer.
