Jan. 19, 2009

Box Score

Spartanburg, S.C. - Carter Cook had hit two three-pointers during Saturday's game against Lipscomb. So, when Upstate point guard De'Marion Gordon drove into the lane and kicked out a pass to Cook on the wing, Cook faked a three-pointer to draw his defender, dribbled to the baseline and knocked down a 15-foot jumper with 11 seconds to play to lift USC Upstate to a thrilling, 57-56, victory over visiting Lipscomb in A-Sun men's basketball action in the Hodge Center Monday afternoon.

"I am just glad we got the win," said Cook. "We fed off of Bobby's (Davis) emotion and wanted to get the win. I'm glad I made the shot."

Upstate snapped a four-game losing streak and improved to 3-14 overall and 2-6 in the A-Sun with the win in a game that was played at a special 2:00 p.m. tip time in coordination with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Lipscomb fell to 6-11 overall and 2-6 in the league, extending its losing streak to five games.

The talk coming into the game centered around the showdown between Upstate's 7-3 center, Nick Schneiders, and Lipscomb's 6-9 center, Adnan Hodzic. But it was the play of Spartan Bobby Davis down the stretch that made the difference in the game. Relegated to the bench for a large chunk of the first half after picking up two fouls, the senior from Aiken put the team on his back and scored 14 of Upstate's final 16 points to rally the Spartans to the win. An emotional Davis reflected on the win after the game.

"I wanted the game. I wanted the win so badly. I was on the bench for half of the game and I had to go get the win for us. I am proud of the team. Everyone stepped up and delivered. Chalmers (Rogers) played great. I don't know what to say, I am so excited. I am so emotional right now. I have never cried after a win, but this feels so good."

Davis finished with a game-high 19 points to lead the Spartans to the win. He had just five points at halftime after sitting for 10 minutes after picking up two fouls in the first half. His 14-point outburst in the final 11 minutes was what allowed Upstate to withstand a furious comeback by Lipscomb.

"Bobby really worked hard and made big plays at the end, both offensively and defensively," said Upstate head coach Eddie Payne. "He made plays to get us two extra possessions. He made baskets and he made free throws. He really stepped up. His numbers (for the game) were good, but I don't think it measures what he did. You could actually feel his will to win. He was emotional, everyone was emotional. I am so glad we won."

Davis' layup with 11:08 to play in the game gave Upstate a 43-34 lead as it looked like the Spartans were in control of the game. However, Lipscomb battled back with an 11-0 run to take a 45-43 lead with 8:52 to play. The Bisons had held the Spartans scoreless after Davis' layup gave Upstate the nine-point edge until Davis converted a pair of free throws to tie the game at 47-47 with 7:39 to play.

Michael Lusk's layup gave Lipscomb the lead back and Hodzic's layup put the Bisons ahead by five, 52-47, with 5:30 to play. Schneiders chased down a loose ball near the top of the key and fed a pass to Davis for an open dunk to cut the lead to three, but Lipscomb pushed the lead back to five with 4:41 to play.

Trailing by four with a little over three minutes to play, Davis made a key defensive play. Brian Wright had grabbed an offensive rebound and was set for the putback when Davis came from across the other side of the court and block Wright's shot into the stands behind Lipscomb's bench. His emotional outburst after the block seemed to inspire himself, the Upstate players and the Spartan faithful. He was fouled the next time down the court and converted both free throws to get Upstate within two, 54-52.

Hodzic answered with a pair of free throws to push the lead back to four, but Davis countered with one of two free throws to get Upstate within three with 2:10 to play. Davis came up with a steal on Lipscomb's next possession and finished on the other end of the court to get Upstate within one, 56-55, with 1:30 to play.

Upstate's defense forced Lipscomb into a shot clock violation, but could not capitalize after missing two three-pointers. The Spartans benefitted when Jimmy Oden missed both of his free throws with 23 seconds to play, giving Upstate a crack at the lead. Gordon took the ball up top and drove into the center of the lane. Instead of putting up a floater, he kicked it out to Cook on the wing and the freshman delivered with the game winner. After a Lipscomb timeout, Lusk dribbled into the lane near the free throw line, but Davis again came up with the steal to seal the win for Upstate as the Spartans ran out the final seconds.

The game was close in the first half with neither team taking more than a five-point lead over the first 16 minutes. After Lipscomb took a 19-15 lead with 7:42 to play, Upstate closed out the first half on a 17-3 run to storm into the locker room with a 32-22 lead. The Spartans seemed in control of the game the rest of the way, even as Lipscomb battled to cut the lead to three early in the second half. Upstate, though, responded by increasing the advantage to nine points on Davis' layup with 11:08 to play, setting up the final thrilling minutes of the game.

Davis added seven rebounds to his 19 points in the game. Cook came off the bench for 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, turning in perhaps his best performance of the year in addition to hitting the game winner. Gabor Boros finished the game with eight points, all scored in the first half to lead Upstate to the 10-point lead at halftime. Gordon also added eight points. Schneiders finished with just four points, but added three rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and three steals while making it difficult for Hodzic to get going in the game.

Hodzic got the better of the duel of the big men, finishing with 17 points and three rebounds to lead Lipscomb. Josh Slater added 15 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Bisons, while Lusk and Brown each totaled seven.

Upstate forced Lipscomb into 18 turnovers in the game, scoring 22 points off Bison miscues. The Spartans turned the ball over just eight times. Upstate also got solid production from the bench as the Spartans outscored the Lipscomb, 24-14, in bench points. With Davis in foul trouble throughout the first half and Schneiders fouling out in the second half, Rogers was forced into playing 18 minutes in the paint. He did a solid job of defending Hodzic and finished with a solid four points and four rebounds.