Baylor 69, South Carolina 65: Kenny Chery scored 18 of his team-high 20 points in the second half as the visiting Bears took a 10-point lead and held off a late rally by the Gamecocks.

Johnathan Motley contributed 17 points, including a key basket in the final minute, and Chery made two free throws to seal it with 1.3 seconds left for Baylor (2-0). Lester Medford recorded 12 points while Royce O’Neale added nine points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Bears.

Tyrone Johnson poured in 21 points and Sindarius Thornwell chipped in 16 for South Carolina (1-1), which lost by two at Baylor last season. Michael Carrera and Marcus Stroman each scored 10 for the Gamecocks in a game that was part of the College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon.

Johnson’s runner cut South Carolina’s deficit to 57-54 with just under seven minutes left before Chery made a corner 3-pointer and two free throws, and Motley scored inside for a 10-point lead. The Gamecocks answered by scoring seven straight, but Motley’s tip-in with 56 seconds left gave Baylor the cushion it needed to hold on.

South Carolina led by as many as four in the first half before Baylor scored 12 of the final 17 points - six by Motley - to take a 30-27 lead at intermission. The Gamecocks held a 36-35 advantage early in the second half before Chery drained 3-pointers to start and end a 12-4 run that gave Baylor its biggest lead at the time of 47-40.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Baylor leads the series 4-2 and is off to a 2-0 start for the ninth consecutive season. … Stroman, a freshman point guard, has nine assists and one turnover combined in his first two collegiate games. … The Bears made 21-of-26 free throws and the Gamecocks drained 16-of-19 from the stripe.