Jan. 5, 2009

Final Stats

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Playing against one of the stingiest backcourts in the Atlantic Sun Conference, the USC Upstate women's basketball team forced 26 turnovers. However, 25 of their own turnovers helped Jacksonville score 34 points off turnover and shot 42 percent (8-for-19) from the 3-point line to lead the Dolphins to a 78-58 win in the Hodge Center on Monday night.

The hot-shooting Dolphins (6-7 overall, 2-2 A-Sun) spoiled a hot-shooting effort for the Spartans (5-6 overall, 1-3 A-Sun) at the free throw line, as the Spartans finished a season-high 90 percent (18-for-20) from the charity stripe, with eight players chipping in from the line.

"We ran into a very good Jacksonville team on Monday night," Upstate assistant coach Kiki Glass said. Glass was coaching the team in the absence of head coach Tammy George, who was attending to a family emergency. "They were aggressive defensively, creating offense with that, and they also moved the ball very well. Our offense was never able to get started because of their aggressiveness."

The Dolphins were able to post a 34-12 advantage in points off turnover, scoring on seven fast breaks. They also held a 48-35 advantage on the glass, leading to 13 second-chance points, despite their season-high 26 turnovers.

The Spartans fell behind by six at 17-11 with 11:10 left in the first half, but layups from both junior Courtney Hawkins (Greer, S.C./Greer) and sophomore Chelsea McMillan (Quincy, Fla./Santa Fe C.C.) cut the lead to two points a minute later.

The Dolphins responded by taking the lead to seven points before a jumper from McMillan with 8:46 left in the first half made it a 24-19 Dolphin lead. Five points from Regina Omoite helped the Dolphins close the half on a 14-7 run, as they took a 38-26 lead into the locker room.

A 3-pointer just 22 seconds from Omoite extended the lead to 15 points. The Spartans could cut it to just 13 before a 15-6 run started with two 3-pointers from Courtney Jackson, giving the Dolphins a 56-34 lead with 13:53 left in the game. Upstate made a 7-0 run thanks to a 3-pointer from junior Kolesia Richardson (Mary Esther, Fla./Santa Fe C.C.) and two free throws from Richardson and two more from senior Ebony Johnson (Columbia, S.C./Ridge View), cutting the lead to 14 at 59-45 with 10:28 left. The Dolphins used a fastbreak layup from Grable and another layup from Hamilton to make it a 19-point game with 9:01 left and Upstate couldn't get closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

Freshman Chelsey Peterson (Irmo, S.C./Dutch Fork) tied a career high with nine points to lead the Spartans, adding five rebounds and two steals. Richardson, Johnson and McMillan each added eight points. Richardson posted three assists, McMillan tied a career high with four blocks to go with seven rebounds and Johnson added a steal and an assist. Hawkins added seven points and seven rebounds and freshman Lesley Daniel (Collinwood, Tenn./Collinwood) added six points.

The Dolphins were led 16 points, including four 3-pointers, and eight rebounds from Jackson. Omoite posted a season-high 14 points to go with seven assists and a career-high six steals. DaVina Hamilton added 13 points, five assists and six steals and Crystal Grable posted 10 points, three blocks and a career-high five assists.

The Spartans will look to get back to .500 on Tuesday night when they square off with in-state rival S.C. State at the Hodge Center at 7 p.m.

Notes
- The Spartans are now 3-6 all-time on Jan. 5.
- Senior Ebony Johnson's streak of four straight games with a blocked shot was snapped.
- Johnson's five blocked shots give her 38 in her career, just two shy of Sharon McDowell's (1985-87) mark of 40, which is eighth in school history.
- Junior Courtney Hawkins now has 40 assists to go against just 17 turnovers this season, a ratio of 2.35, which leads the A-Sun.
- Thanks to their four blocked shots on Monday, the Spartans 43 blocked shots this season have surpassed their total of 42 during 2007-08.
- Nine Upstate players finished with 12 or more minutes of playing time.
- Upstate is now 3-1 at home. Its 3-0 start at the Hodge Center was its best in the Tammy George era and the best since the 2004-05 campaign when the Spartans started 8-0 in the friendly confines.
- Freshman Kendra Wallace has hit a 3-pointer in nine of the team's 11 games this season.
- Sophomore Chelsea McMillan has seven blocked shots in the last two games.
- The Spartans' 58 points were their second-lowest total of the season, as they scored 57 against South Carolina on Dec. 16 in a 71-57 loss.