AJ Green scored 26 points Wednesday, including his team's last 11, as Northern Iowa rallied in the second half to bag a 78-72 win over South Carolina for third place in the Cancun (Mexico) Challenge.

Trae Berhow canned five 3-pointers and added 15 points for the Panthers (7-1), while Antwan Kimmons came off the bench to chip in 10 points. Northern Iowa sank 49 percent from the field and was effective at the foul line, converting 20 of 24.

Four players scored in double figures for the Gamecocks (4-3), led by 20 points from A.J. Lawson. Maik Kotsar and reserve Alanzo Frink each tallied 12, and Jair Bolden added 11 points before fouling out. South Carolina lost despite canning 50 percent from the field.

Green drilled a pullup jumper with 31 seconds remaining to give UNI a 74-70 lead. After Kotsar swished a corner jumper to draw the Gamecocks within two points with 17 seconds on the clock, Green sealed the outcome by canning four consecutive foul shots in the last 12.3 seconds.

Berhow gave the Panthers the lead for good when he drained a 3-pointer from the corner with 7:12 left to make it 65-64. South Carolina trailed by seven at halftime but put together a quick rally early in the second half, setting up a back-and-forth last 15 minutes.

Most of the first half was defense optional, a surprising development considering the emphasis that UNI coach Ben Jacobson and Gamecocks coach Frank Martin put on stopping opponents. South Carolina led 17-12 just 6:05 into the game on Frink's jumper.

South Carolina led 25-23 with 8:19 left in the half after a Kotsar dunk, but the Panthers controlled the period's remainder. They rattled off nine consecutive points, capped by two foul shots by Tywhon Pickford, for a 32-25 advantage at the 6:44 mark.

Austin Phyfe's layup with 2:33 remaining increased the UNI lead to 43-33, and the Panthers went to intermission with a 44-37 lead on the strength of 57.1 percent field-goal shooting.

--Field Level Media