The Yale men’s basketball team suffered its first loss of the season on Sunday afternoon, falling to No. 8 Virginia 62–38 in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Elis were locked in a defensive battle with the Cavaliers and kept the game close in the first half, but UVA outscored the Bulldogs 34–17 in the final 20 minutes to run away with the lopsided victory.

Facing a Virginia team which has been exalted in Division I college basketball for its defense, the Bulldogs struggled to get their offense going against relentless traps, on-ball defense and rim protection. The Elis were outrebounded 41–28 and had their shots blocked seven times.

Yale had a strong first half behind the play of forward Blake Reynolds ’19 and guard Alex Copeland ’19; the Bulldogs entered the locker room at halftime down by just seven, with Copeland providing eight points off the bench. The Bulldogs quickly narrowed the Cavalier lead to two points on a backdoor cut by captain and guard Anthony Dallier ’17 after play resumed, but Virginia broke off a 16–0 run early in the second half and controlled the game the rest of the way.

Reynolds and Copeland finished with 10 and eight points, respectively, while the team finished the game shooting 33.3 percent from the field. Meanwhile, the Cavalier guard trio of Marial Shayok, Kyle Guy and Darius Thompson combined for 38 points, equal to Yale’s team total.

Yale had its fewest assists and most turnovers on the season, with just seven dimes accompanying 14 giveaways. The Bulldogs continue their road trip on Tuesday against Pittsburgh. Tip-off at Petersen Events Center is at 7 p.m.