A big second-half surge helped South Carolina beat Holy Cross 81-49 in the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational on Sunday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.

Sindarius Thornwell had 20 points and five rebounds for South Carolina (2-0). P.J. Dozier added 15 points and five assists, and Justin McKie scored 10 points.

Robert Champion scored 18 points for Holy Cross (0-1). Malachi Alexander had 15 points and six rebounds.

The teams traded leads in the opening minutes of the first half, but South Carolina staged a 9-0 run to go up 12-4. The Gamecocks extended their lead to 10 points on a layup by McKie and went up 24-13 on a 3-pointer by Rakym Felder. The Crusaders cut the deficit to five on two free throws by Matt Husek, but a 10-0 run by South Carolina helped the Gamecocks take a 44-32 advantage into the locker room at the break.

South Carolina continued to build on its lead early in the second half. The Gamecocks went up 50-36 on a jumper by McKie, took a 16-point lead on a 3-pointer by Thornwell and went up by 18 on two free throws by Felder. South Carolina went up by 20 moments later on a basket by McKie and went up 66-42 on Thornwell's fourth 3-pointer of the night.

The Crusaders cut the deficit to 20 on a pair of free throws by Karl Charles, but the Gamecocks responded with an 8-1 run to go up 74-47.

South Carolina shot a sizzling 58.7 percent from the field and made 12 of 24 from 3-point range. The Gamecocks were nearly perfect at the charity stripe, making 15 of 16 free-throw attempts. They also amassed a considerable 32-16 rebounding advantage.

Holy Cross shot 37.8 percent from the field and made 5 of 20 from beyond the arc.