It’s pretty hard to lose a basketball game to a team that shoots 27% from the field. But Mark Fox’s Bulldog teams have always had a unique ability to snatch defeat feom the jaws of victory every so often. They did just that Saturday afternoon, falling 64-57 to South Carolina in an ugly basketball game that became an ugly loss.
The Hoop Hounds were plagued once again by inconsistent scoring. Yante Maten poured in 25, but was the only UGA starter in double figures (Juwan Parker added 11 off the bench).
A subpar night from the free throw line (18 of 28) didn’t help matters. A 14 to 7 turnover deficit didn’t either. In short, the ‘Dawgs did plenty to lose this one.
Amazingly, they didn’t manage to actually do so until the very end. Maten actually tied it up 49-49 with a second half basket. But the Gamecocks responded with some of their best shooting, including a couple of clutch threes, down the stretch.
The Bulldogs (11-5, 2-3 SEC) will return to action on Tuesday against LSU. They’ll do so with just a little less margin for error in the tournament bracket than going into the weekend. This was one that the Fox Hounds didn’t really have the luxury of losing with tough conference tests on the horizon.