University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts Takes Out Upstate, 82-60, In Cozumel Cup Opener
12/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 19, 2008
COZUMEL, Mexico - The USC Upstate women's basketball team got 12 points each from sophomore Brittany Johnson (Tulsa, Okla./Allen C.C.) and junior Kolesia Richardson (Mary Esther, Fla./Santa Fe C.C.), but it wasn't enough to overcome a 51 percent night from the floor for Oral Roberts as the Golden Eagles took an 80-62 decision in the opening game of the Cozumel Cup at in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 723 fans at the Francisco Cordero Poliforum on Friday night.
Johnson scored a career-high 12 points and added five rebounds before leaving the game with a knee injury in the second half. Richardson posted 12 points, three rebounds and three assists, going a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Freshman Kendra Wallace (Hurricane, W.Va./Nitro) posted nine points and a steal and senior Ebony Johnson (Columbia, S.C./Ridge View) added eight points, two rebounds and two steals. Freshman Lesley Daniel (Collinwood, Tenn./Collinwood) added six points and four assists and sophomore Chelsea McMillan (Quincy, Fla./Santa Fe C.C.) added a team-high six rebounds.
"We got into a large hole and had to do a lot of work late in the first half to get out of it," Upstate head coach Tammy George said. "I thought that showed a lot of heart, but unfortunately, we weren't able to finish the comeback."
"I'd also like to thank the people of Cozumel for their full-hearted support of this tournament. It was a great atmosphere for women's basketball (Friday) and they have treated our players like superstars at the games."
The Golden Eagles came out shooting hot, building a 24-8 lead with 8:40 left in the first half, as they used an inside-out combination of Monah Pegorari, Jenae Voelker and Georgia Jones, who combined for 26 points in the half. The Spartans started to cut into the lead, though, as it went on a 17-9 to make it a 33-26 game with 1:18 left.
The run was sparked by Richardson, who scored six straight points for Upstate, including four free throws. Daniel followed with a driving layup in the paint and Johnson eased in on an open court breakaway for bucket. After two free throws from sophomore Courtney Hawkins (Greer, S.C./Greer), Wallace capped the run with a 3-pointer from the right side with 1:18 left. The teams each traded buckets to close the half, with the Golden Eagles holding a 36-29 advantage.
The Spartans got to work quickly in the second half, closing within three points thanks to two buckets from Brittany Johnson in the first minute. From there, though, the Golden Eagles went on a 7-0 run capped by a 3-pointer from Georgia Jones to make it 43-33 with 17:40 left in the half.
The Golden Eagles never let Upstate back within seven after that and a 9-1 run gave them a 70-51 lead with 4:31 left, icing the game.
The Golden Eagles were led by double-doubles from Voelker and Pegorari, as Voelker finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds and Pegorari added 14 points and 11 boards. Jones finished with 22 points, hitting six 3-pointers, six assists and three rebounds. Jordan Pyle also added nine points and four rebounds.
Upstate wraps up the Cozumel Cup on Saturday with a 7:30 tip against Oakland at the Francisco Cordero Poliforum.
Notes
- Tonight's game was the third of four in a seven-day span for the Spartans.
- This is the second time in school history that an Upstate team has competed outside of the United States. The women's golf team competed in Baja Mexico for a tournament during the 2007-08 season.
- Junior Courtney Hawkins needs six points to become the 16th player to reach 750 career points at Upstate.
- Freshmen Kendra Wallace has hit a 3-pointer in each of the last seven games.
- Senior Ebony Johnson needs one rebound to become the 15th player at Upstate with 400 in a career.
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