Jan. 17, 2009

Final Stats

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The USC Upstate women's basketball team held Atlantic Sun Conference power Belmont off the scoreboard for nearly eight and a half minutes to start the game, but it was a four-minute scoreless stretch in the second half by Upstate that helped Belmont take control for a 64-49 win in the Hodge Center on Saturday.

Upstate (8-8 overall, 3-5 A-Sun) fell victim to the Bruin defense, which entered the game with the lowest opponents' scoring average in the conference, as the Bruins (11-6 overall, 6-2 A-Sun) held the Spartans to just 26 percent (17-for-66) from the field and 16 percent (3-for-19) from 3-point range. The 26 percent from the field as well as the 49 points were both season-lows for Upstate, who entered the game ranked second in the A-Sun in scoring offense.

"Belmont is a very, very good defensive team and they showed it (Saturday)," Upstate head coach Tammy George said. "We played very hard and we kept control of the ball for the most part, but Belmont was just able to get hands in our faces and keep us from open looks."

In Belmont's opening drought, the Spartans built a 10-0 lead, with five players each contributing two points each before a layup from freshman Lesley Daniel (Collinwood, Tenn./Collinwood) ended the run. A layup from Jessica Bobbitt put the Bruins on the scoreboard with 11:37 left in the first half. The Spartans kept the Bruins at least four points behind until a Jessica Bobbitt and Amber Rockwell combined for six straight free throws, helping the Bruins tie the game at 15 with 5:18 left in the half.

A Rockwell 3-pointer gave the Bruins their first lead at 18-17 with 4:29 left and another three from Rockwell extended the lead to four points with 3:33 left. As the half wound down, jumpers from junior Kolesia Richardson (Mary Esther, Fla./Santa Fe C.C.) and senior Ebony Johnson (Columbia, S.C./Ridge View) tied the game at 22, but a 3-pointer from Cacy Burtnett gave the Bruins a 25-22 lead with 37 seconds left in the half. Freshman Kendra Wallace (Hurricane, W.Va./Nitro) cut the lead to one point at the half with two free throws with three seconds left.

While Upstate struggled from the floor in the half, shooting 24 percent, so did Belmont, shooting an identical 24 percent and hitting just five field goals in the half, but four were 3-pointers. The Bruins did a solid job of getting to the foul line, hitting 11-of-16 shots from the charity stripe.

After the Bruins scored the first four points of the second half, the Spartans went on a 7-0 run to take a 31-29 lead with 16:48 left. Junior Courtney Hawkins (Greer, S.C./Greer) slashed through an unprepared Bruin defense for a layup to start the run before sophomore Chelsea McMillan (Quincy, Fla./Santa Fe C.C.) hit a layup to bring Upstate within a point. Richardson completed an old-fashioned 3-point play to cap the run.

The Bruins and Spartans traded two ties from there before a layup from Rockwell gave the Bruins a 35-33 lead with 14:47 left, a lead that was never relinquished. A free throw from Crystal Kesler and a 3-pointer from Tereva Moore built the lead to six and the Spartans could get no closer than four before another 6-0 Belmont run put the Bruins up 47-37 with 8:29 left.

The Spartans cut the lead to seven on a 3-pointer from Wallace, but Burtnett answered back with a 3-pointer of her own to keep it a 10-point game. The Spartans cut the lead to single digits just once more, as a free throw from Hawkins made it 58-49 with 3:56 left. The Bruins closed the game on a 6-0 run, not allowing Upstate a field goal in the final 6:26 of the game.

Richardson led the Spartans with 12 points, three rebounds and a 6-for-7 day at the free-throw line. McMillan added eight points and nine rebounds, Hawkins posted eight points, four rebounds and two assists and Wallace notched eight points, two 3-pointers, six rebounds and two assists. Sophomore Sam Frost (Baltimore, Md./North Greenville University) added six points, five rebounds and two steals.

The Bruins were led by Rockwell, who had 20 points, three 3-pointers, and four rebounds. Bobbitt added 14 points, 14 rebounds and two assists. Tereva Moore added 11 points and eight rebounds.

The Spartans now get seven days of rest before getting back on the court on Saturday when they host A-Sun foe Campbell at 4 p.m. in the Hodge Center.

Notes
- The Spartans are 6-6 all-time on Jan. 17.
- Freshman Kendra Wallace has hit 3-pointers in 14 of 16 games this season. With 33 3-pointers this season, Wallace is one 3-pointers shy of sophomore Tiffany Whiting's rookie mark of 34, which is sixth in the school's freshman record book.
- With her one assist, senior Courtney Bradley moved just four dimes shy of becoming the second player in school history to dish out 350 in a career.
- Upstate didn't post a blocked shot for just the second time this season.
- Seven of sophomore Chelsea McMillan's nine rebounds were offensive. The Spartans posted 20 offensive rebounds in the game, the most since the team had 21 against Presbyterian in the season-opener on Nov. 15.