COLUMBIA, S.C. -- PJ Dozier had a career-high 21 points and No. 20 South Carolina improved to 7-0 for a second straight season with a 68-50 victory over Vermont on Thursday night.Dozier, the 6-foot-6 sophomore, helped the Gamecocks to a 13-1 run at the start of the second half. Maik Kotsar had eight points in the charge while Dozier had a 3-pointer and a thunderous finish to an alley-oop pass that had the crowd on its feet as South Carolina took a 49-32 lead.The Catamounts (6-3) could not respond to taller, quicker South Carolina.Dozier had three of the Gamecocks four 3-pointers in besting his previous high of 17 points, set in the season opener against Louisiana Tech.Kotsar had 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting, mostly from close to the basket, while Chris Silva added 12 points for South Carolina.Dozier had six rebounds, as did the 6-9 Silva, along with three steals.Anthony Lamb had 14 points, the only Vermont player in double figures.THE BIG PICTUREVermont: The Catamounts have won 20 or more games in coach John Beckers five seasons and had a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2012 and the NIT in 2014. They do it with a mix of strong-shooting upperclassmen and enough young talent to compete in the American East Conference. But Vermont doesnt have enough firepower to keep up with a top-20 team like South Carolina. The Gamecocks defense kept the Catamounts off balance most of the way as they fell behind by 14 points in the opening half.South Carolina: For their success last week in defeating ranked opponents Michigan and Syracuse, the Gamecocks are very much a work in progress. One starter, Kotsar, and four of the five players off the bench are in their first years at South Carolina and several times an animated coach Frank Martin yanked players, loudly questioning their technique. He calmed in the second half with South Carolinas quick start.UP NEXTVermont gets almost a week off before starting three straight at home with Dartmouth on Dec. 7.South Carolina concludes a two-game home stand against Florida International on Sunday.Colin Kaepernick Jersey . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. 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Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year.At the request of Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown, former team great and NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson gave some words of encouragement to a squad in search of its first win of the season.What we have to understand is I hope the message registers, Iverson said. Thats all I can do is hope my voice means something to guys that are younger than me, and us guys that paved the way. ... If only one guy got it, then Im happy.Iverson said he thinks the 76ers will be a solid unit, even if theyre the only team in the league without a win.Right now, everybody is pretty frustrated, center Jahlil Okafor said Wednesday after a 122-115 overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. We thought we just let that one go, but we know we are right there.Honestly, its kind of deflating getting so close to a win. ... Now, we have to be mentally tough.Wednesdays loss droopped the 76ers to 0-7.dddddddddddd Theyll face off with the Pacers again on Friday in Philadelphia.The 76ers have seen a rash of injuries decimate their young core. Ben Simmons (broken right foot), Nerlens Noel (right knee) and Jerryd Bayless (left wrist ligament damage) have been sidelined since the preseason. Joel Embiid?has been limited as the team seeks to carefully manage his workload and the stress on his right foot during games and practices.And what message does Iverson have for the Sixers faithful?I want the fans here to be patient with those guys, Iverson said. Weve got the talent. Its here. Just be patient with them. And I just want those guys to believe in each other and trust in each other. Thats it. The future is bright for us. ' ' '