South Carolina’s search for its first SEC win continues after a heartbreaking 66-63 loss at Vanderbilt on Wednesday night, where a season-worst 25 turnovers ultimately proved too much to overcome despite a valiant second-half effort.
Morris Ugusuk scored a career-high 20 points and Collin Murray-Boyles added 14, but the Gamecocks (10-7, 0-4 SEC) couldn’t overcome their sloppiest offensive performance in recent memory. The 25 turnovers were the most by any SEC team in a conference game over the last three seasons.
Despite the miscues, South Carolina had multiple chances to steal a road victory late. After Murray-Boyles knocked down two free throws following a flagrant foul with :41 seconds remaining to tie the game at 63, the Gamecocks couldn’t capitalize on the ensuing possession. A shot clock violation gave Vanderbilt (14-3 2-2 SEC) the ball with :10 seconds remaining, setting up the dramatic finish.
A.J. Hoggard’s initial attempt missed, but Devin McGlockton grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled while converting the putback with 0.6 seconds left. His free throw provided the final margin, as Arden Conyers’desperation three-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim.
The Commodores led by as many as nine early in the second half before South Carolina slowly chipped away at the deficit. Ugusuk sparked the comeback, scoring 14 of his 20 points after halftime while hitting two 2nd half three-pointers. The Gamecocks finally pulled even at 56-56 on Cam Scott’s driving layup with just under six minutes remaining, setting up the back-and-forth finish.
Hoggard and Jason Edwards led a balanced Vanderbilt attack with 14 and 13 points respectively, while McGlockton added 11 points and seven rebounds, none bigger than his final offensive board.
The loss spoiled strong individual performances from Ugusuk (6-of-8 shooting) and Murray-Boyles, who added nine rebounds to his 14 points. But the turnover issues that plagued South Carolina in the first half (16) never fully subsided, as the Commodores converted those mistakes into 22 points.
The Gamecocks will look to bounce back Saturday when they travel to Oklahoma, still seeking that elusive first conference victory.
