and Orazio Fantasia was their liveliest forward with three goals, but John Worsfold was again left to rue poor goalkicking.Really, I think we dominated the inside-50 count. It was just scoring opportunities

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Freshman quarterback Jake Bentley improved to 3-0 as a starter, throwing for 254 yards and two touchdowns as South Carolina handed Missouri its 11th straight SEC loss 31-21 on Saturday.Bentley showed poise, strength and accuracy in the pocket, completing 22 of 28 passes to lead the Gamecocks (5-4, 3-4 SEC) to their third straight victory.The Gamecocks are in the midst of a rebuilding project with 78 percent of their roster consisting of underclassmen, but appear to be on the right track. Freshman running back Rico Dowdle ran for 149 yards and a touchdown and also hauled in a 17-yard TD strike from Bentley.Jake is bringing a lot of energy to the offense and when we have a matchup we like were going to take it, said South Carolina wide receiver Deebo Samuel.Samuel had 125 yards receiving on nine catches and also ran for a score.He muscled us around a little bit, said Missouri coach Barry Odom.Drew Lock threw for 302 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions for Missouri (2-7, 0-5).South Carolina didnt let down after pulling a 24-21 upset of 18th-ranked Tennessee last week. One of the South Carolinas coaches even set mousetraps around the locker room to remind players it was a trap game.Everyone is patting you on the back, but I told our players, `Dont take the cheese, coach Will Muschamp said.With the game tied at 21 late in the third quarter, Rashad Fenton intercepted Lock near the goal line on a deep ball along the right sideline. Bentley led a 98-yard drive, culminating in a go-ahead 20-yard TD run by Dowdle .Bentley showed poise beyond his years in his third start.Late in the first half, he took a sack on a second-and-goal at the 1 rather than throw the ball away. Rather than dwelling on the loss, Bentley tossed a 6-yard TD pass to tight end K.C. Crosby on the next play to give the Gamecocks a 21-14 lead at half.When Jake is in there we feel like we can score from anywhere on the field, said Gamecocks tight end Hayden Hurst.THE TAKEAWAYMISSOURI: Missouri will have to bulk up its run defense if it wants to get in the win column in the conference. The Tigers defense wore down late in the game as South Carolina simply pounded away at them with Dowdle ripping off huge chunks of yardage.SOUTH CAROLINA: Bentley looks like the real deal for the Gamecocks, which makes you wonder why they waited so long to play the true freshman. The defense, which hasnt allowed an opponent to score 30 points all season, can hang with anyone.UP NEXTMISSOURI: The Tigers return home to host Vanderbilt next Saturday.SOUTH CAROLINA: The Gamecocks travel to Florida on Saturday to face the Gators, who have they have beaten in four of the last six meetings.---More AP college football at www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25.Custom San Francisco 49ers Jerseys .Y. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday that J. Custom Arizona Cardinals Jerseys . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. http://www.jerseyscustom.us/ . With the short-handed Warriors needing help from someone -- anyone -- to stop a three-game skid, ONeal returned from right knee and groin injuries that had sidelined him for four games and put up season highs with 18 points and eight rebounds. It was just enough to help lift Golden State to a 102-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. 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The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto.Brett Deledio was hurt, Richmond were rattled and Dustin Martin went into beast mode as the Tigers escaped with a 19-point win against Essendon at the MCG.The brave Bombers trailed by one point on Saturday with just under 10 minutes left but Damien Hardwicks men steadied to kick the last three goals to win their seventh game of the season, 16.6 (102) to 11.17 (83).Martin put in another eye-catching display with 43 possessions, 14 clearances and two goals, strengthening his position in the Brownlow Medal race.Deledio, who has a history of calf and achilles issues, left the game at halftime after suffering tightness in his right calf, sparking fears he might have played his last game of the year.Well get some scans during the week but hes a valuable player and were not going to put him out there if theres a question mark over him, Hardwick said.Well see how that one pulls up.Im not too sure (about his season). We dont want to make that call now - well wait for Bretts assessment and the medical guys will talk through that.But it was only tightness ... there was no incident as such.Coming off a spirited loss to St Kilda, Essendons pressure was immense early.Richmond were rattled as Essendon jumped out to a 19-point lead, but Trent Cotchin, Deledio and Martin steadied the ship and a brilliant Sam Lloyd dribbled goal helped their siide regain momentum.ddddddddddddThe Tigers kicked six unanswered goals, but couldnt shake the persistent Dons after that in front of 44,908 fans.Cotchin impressed with 35 disposals, as did Ben Griffiths with 12 marks and three goals, but Martins typically bullocking display was the key factor.When he hunts that contested ball, hes so hard, hes so dynamic in that part of his game ... when he plays in that beast-mode mentality, hes really hard to stop, Hardwick said.Hes such a valuable player ... hes one of those guys who can get in and out of traffic.Essendon did a pretty good job of smashing into him, but Dusty eventually sees off most guys ... it was a good game again.Zach Merrett was outstanding for the Bombers with 34 possessions and Orazio Fantasia was their liveliest forward with three goals, but John Worsfold was again left to rue poor goalkicking.Really, I think we dominated the inside-50 count. It was just scoring opportunities in the last quarter that we didnt make the most of and Richmond managed to, Worsfold said.Thats been a pattern for the last few games ... whether thats fatigue, its hard to pick, but we backed up a gallant effort last week with another big effort off a six-day break. ' ' '