The Virginia Cavaliers turned the ball over a season-high 19 times and were defeated by the South Carolina Gamecocks 70-59 at John Paul Jones Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Kody Stattmann hit a three pointer on the game’s first possession but that proved to be Virginia’s only lead of the game. South Carolina’s Jair Bolden made each of his first five field goal attempts and scored 15 of his 22 points in the first half, despite tough defense by Kihei Clark & co. Virginia hurt themselves by turning the ball over 12 times in the first half. 14 of the 19 Cavalier turnovers in the game were steals by an aggressive and physical South Carolina defense.
Virginia trailed for most of the game but made a run in the second half to tie the game at 45. Mamadi Diakite lead the UVA offense with a career-high 21 points. Kihei Clark added 9 points and 7 assists, but the second-year point guard also turned the ball over 7 times.
After the Hoos tied the game at 45 midway through the second half, South Carolina went on a 12-5 run and never relinquished the lead for the rest of the game.
Virginia will look to bounce back next Sunday, when they host the Navy Midshipmen.
Article recap by Matt Newton
