Nov. 15, 2008

Final Stats

SPARTANBURG, S.C - Sophomore Chelsea McMillan (Quincy, Fla./Santa Fe C.C.) posted 16 points for the USC Upstate women's basketball team and hit a jumper from 16-footer from the left elbow with one second left on the shot clock with 2:17 remaining to help lift Upstate to a 63-55 win over Presbyterian on Saturday night in Templeton Arena. The game was the season opener for both teams with Upstate improving to 1-0 overall and Presbyterian fell to 0-1.

"It was a good start," McMillan said of her first game with Upstate. "We have stuff we still need to work on, but for our first game, on the road, it was a good win."

Presbyterian was mounting a last-ditch rally in the final three minutes, closing within four points at 59-55 when McMillan got a pass on the left elbow as the shot clock wound down. As the clock ticked away, McMillan launched a high-arcing shot that swished through the net, clinching the win, which was further secured with two Spartan free throws down the stretch.

"Chelsea had a big night," Upstate fourth-year head coach Tammy George said of her 6-0 forward from Santa Fe (Fla.) Community College. "Night-in, night-out, I think she can give that to us. I think she's just going to get better and better as she plays here. We welcome that and we need that."

Upstate opened up a 46-38 lead with 11:34 left after a McMillan free throw, but Presbyterian fired back to close within two points at 50-48 with 7:05 left after a 3-pointer from Lea Smith. The Spartans and Blue Hose traded baskets back and forth before until freshman Lesley Daniel (Collinwood, Tenn./Collinwood) hit a lay-up to give Upstate a 54-51 lead. With 4:00 remaining, freshman Kendra Wallace (Hurricane, W.Va./Nitro) was fouled as she released a 3-pointer from the right side. She stepped to line and hit all three shots, giving Upstate a 57-51 lead. From there, the Blue Hose could get no closer than five points.

Junior Courtney Hawkins (Greer, S.C./Greer) also added 14 points for Upstate. Wallace and sophomore Sam Frost (Baltimore, Md./North Greenville University) each added seven and Daniel posted six points for the Spartans. Freshman Chelsey Peterson (Irmo, S.C./Dutch Fork) also had five points.

"Our forwards were able to get to the basket," Hawkins said. "They're very strong. Both Chelseas and Sam were able to go to work when they got the ball, so we just tried to get the ball in to them as much as possible. They were able to get rebounds and create an inside presence. We needed that (Saturday)."

The Spartans took a 2-0 lead with a layup from Hawkins. After a 3-pointer from Ali Stevens gave the Blue Hose a 5-4 lead, the Spartans built up a three-point lead after a layup from McMillan on a second-chance rebound made it 8-5. However, the Blue Hose tied the game at 12 and 15 as the teams traded long-distance shots.

"Our inside game was definitely one of the advantages we think we have, especially heading into (Saturday's game)" George said. "We tried to go inside and attack and we got some easy ones off the glass. I was excited to see that inside presence."

McMillan then posted another second-chance bucket to start a traditional 3-point play with 10:50 remaining. A 3-pointer by Frost then put Upstate up by six points and from there, the Spartans were able to maintain the lead for the rest of the game. The Blue Hose cut the Spartan lead from eight points to four at halftime after a layup by Katlin Moore.

Upstate started the second half trading buckets and a layup by Katlin Moore with 17:54 left brought the Blue Hose within two points at 34-32. In the next five minutes, though, Upstate went on an 11-2 run to take a 45-34 lead with 12:53 remaining. During the run, McMillan and Hawkins each posted four points.

The Blue Hose were led by Smith, who notched 15 points, and Moore, who added 13 points.

The Spartans return to the Hodge Center for their season-opener on Monday, as they host Montreat on Monday at 7 p.m.

Notes
- The Spartans are now 20-15 overall in season openers. They are 1-1 in Division I openers, falling to Kentucky, 74-59 on Nov.10, 2007.
- This was the eighth straight year that Upstate opened the year on the road. It is 4-4 in that time.
- With the win, head coach Tammy George improved her career record to 76-76 overall. She is in her sixth year as a head coach.
- With her 14 points, sophomore Courtney Hawkins moved into 20th-place on the Spartans all-time scoring list with 676 career points.
- Sophomore Chelsea McMillan's 16 points were the most in a Spartan debut in the Division I era (since the 2007-08 season). Oceana Jackson scored 12 points in Upstate's Division I debut against Kentucky on Nov. 10, 2007.