South Carolina fell to an unranked Georgia team 69-56 for their third loss of the season on Tuesday. With the Gamecocks slated to play three of the top teams in the SEC for their next three games, this defeat could be particularly damaging to the team's postseason aspirations.
While South Carolina's defense has been exceptional all season, the offense has been more volatile. In the first half of this game, the Gamecocks hit rock bottom in terms of offensive production. They sputtered early on, struggling to find open shots and any sort of rhythm. Throughout the season, South Carolina has been able to convert their aggressive defense into fast break opportunities on offense, but that didn't happen in this game.
In the first half, the Gamecocks scored just 23 points and shot an abysmal 21.4 percent from the floor. Turnovers continued to plague the Gamecocks — they piled up 14 in the loss — further hindering their ability to find scoring opportunities. Freshman point guard P.J. Dozier continued to struggle with his ball distribution and shot an underwhelming two for eight. Senior forward Michael Carrera did just enough to keep his team in the game during the first half with ferocious defense and a pair of key three-pointers.
Offensively, South Carolina fared a little better in the second half. Their shooting percentage improved to a clip of 41.4 percent. With 17:34 left in the game, the Gamecocks went on an 8-0 run, but despite this momentum the Bulldogs never relinquished their lead.
Junior guard Sindarius Thornwell was the catalyst of the offense, scoring 18 points and hauling in 11 boards.
Georgia made a point of following their shots and matched a more physical South Carolina team with 13 offensive rebounds. Sophomore forward Yante Maten paced the Bulldogs in scoring with 18 points, tying Thornwell as the game leader.
A victory would have given the Gamecocks some much-needed momentum as they enter the most critical part of their schedule, but now they will have to steal a game or two from Texas A&M, Louisiana State and Kentucky. Their first test will come on the road against the Aggies on Feb. 6 at 4 p.m.