Upstate Thumps Southern For First Win Of Season

Monday, December 22

University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics

Southern University

12/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Dec. 22, 2008

Box Score

Las Vegas, Nev. - USC Upstate needed a win. Behind a potent offensive attack including a standout performance from Bobby Davis and a three-point barrage from Josh Chavis in the first half, the Spartans got a win. Upstate gained control of the game early and cruised to a 71-43 victory over Southern Monday afternoon at the Orleans Arena in the opening game of the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic.

After playing a brutal schedule to open the season, Upstate's win put an end to a nine-game losing streak, giving the Spartans their first win of the season. Upstate will play the winner of Monday's Liberty/Northern Colorado game at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday in the final game of the Las Vegas Classic for the Spartans. Upstate is now 1-9 on the year, while Southern is winless at 0-11.

"I was proud of our focus and the way we approached the game," said Upstate head coach Eddie Payne. "The best thing about it was that we played each possession with focus and intensity. It didn't matter what the score was and we played like that for 40 minutes. If we can do that, that's a good sign for us. Bobby had a monster performance."

Davis recorded his fourth double-double of the season and his second of the Las Vegas Classic with 19 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. He also dished out a team-high three assists. His play throughout was a catalyst for the Spartans, despite playing with a bandaged ring finger after partially tearing his nail off Sunday night.

"We just came out and played hard. I don't know what got us going, but we got it going and kept it throughout the game. It feels good to get a win. It's been awhile, but we got it. Now we have to put this win behind us and go to the next game," said Davis.

Upstate came out with an intensity unmatched this season and it showed as the Spartans outscored Southern 11-2 to open the game. The frontcourt tandem of Davis and Nick Schneiders was key with Davis scoring six and Schneiders five in the game-opening run.

After Gabor Boros nailed a three-pointer to give Upstate a 24-8 lead with 7:41 to play in the half, Southern scored five straight to cut the lead to 24-13. That's when Chavis took over, hitting three of his four first-half three-pointers after the 5-0 run to lead Upstate to a 36-21 lead at halftime.

"We know that everyone knows that we like to play inside-out. Bobby and Nick are our go-to guys. Once they get it going, teams like to double down on them. That leaves shots open for the guards. I just took my time and knocked them down," said Chavis.

Chavis led the Spartans in the first half with 12 points, all on three-pointers, as Upstate shot 50 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three-point arc. The Spartans were 14-of-28 from the field and 5-of-10 from the arc. Six other Spartans scored in the half.

Upstate's defense was also solid, holding Southern to 26 percent shooting from the floor, hitting 8-of-31 shots. The Jaguars shot 29 percent from the three-point arc, hitting just 2-of-7 from downtown.

Holding a 15-point lead at the half didn't slow down the Spartans in the second half. Upstate increased the lead to 18 points on a three-pointer by Boros with 17:43 to play in the game. After Southern cut the lead to 14, the Spartans outscored the Jaguars 11-1 over the next four minutes to open a 24-point, 52-28, lead. The led grew to as many as 30 before Upstate settled for the 28-point victory.

Upstate finished the game strong from the floor, hitting 50 percent of its shots on 26-of-52 shooting. The Spartans were strong from the arc as well, connecting on 8-of-18 from downtown. Upstate also committed just 11 turnovers for the game.

"I thought we distributed the ball better, we passed it better. I thought the ball moved better and we had better flow to the offense," said Payne.

Upstate's defense was also a bright spot on the day. The Spartans held Southern to 28.6 percent shooting from the field and the Jaguars made just 2-of-14 for the game from behind the arc. The only area Upstate was less than stellar was in giving up 29 offensive rebounds. However, the Spartans' defensive effort in recovering after giving up the offensive boards allowed the Jaguars to score just nine second-chance points.

Upstate used a balanced offensive attack with nine different players scoring in the game. Chavis finished with 12 points as the only other Spartan in double figures. Schneiders finished with nine points and seven rebounds, while Mezie Uzochukwu added eight points and tied Davis for the lead with three assists. Pat Posey added a career-high eight points.

Barry Honore' led Southern with seven points as Upstate did not allow a Jaguar to reach double figures. Douglas Scott added six points and a team-high 13 rebounds.