Jan. 6, 2009

Final Stats

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - It very well could go down as a defining moment in the careers of the USC Upstate women's basketball team's freshman class.

At first, it was Chelsey Peterson (Columbia, S.C./Irmo), who used three free throws to keep it close. Then it was Kendra Wallace (Hurricane, W.Va./Nitro), who used 3-pointers to get the lead. Then, at last, it was Lesley Daniel (Collinwood, Tenn./Collinwood), who used a steal for a fastbreak layup to seal 12 straight points, all by Spartan rookies, late in the second half that led Upstate to a 90-80 win over S.C. State on Tuesday night in the Hodge Center.

"It was a great game to be a part of and I am truly grateful I was a part of it," said Upstate head coach Tammy George, who was unavailable for Monday's 78-58 loss to Jacksonville due to a family emergency. "The play of all three freshman was outstanding, but what Kendra did was amazing. She stepped up when we needed it and hit two huge threes."

With Upstate (6-6 overall) trailing 72-70, Peterson grabbed a defensive rebound and was fouled on an over-the-back call by Marie Reid. She hit the back end of her double bonus free throws, but Reid hit a layup to extend the Lady Bulldogs (3-8 overall) lead to three points. Once again, Peterson was fouled and this time, the freshman, shooting just 48 percent from the line entering the game, hit both, keeping it a one-point game.

After a missed Bulldog 3-pointer, Wallace stepped around a screen and popped a 3-pointer, giving Upstate a 76-74 lead with 3:36 left.

"I just thought, `I hope it goes in," Wallace said, "so we can start pulling away and get momentum on our side. We made some big stops on defense and that really helped us relax and play our game."

Both teams traded missed buckets and then Wallace spotted up again on a dish from junior Kolesia Richardson (Mary Esther, Fla./Santa Fe C.C.), draining a trey to put Upstate up by five.

"Kendra was off the chain," Daniel said. "It was just a night where we had to give her the ball. She was ready to play."

Peterson came up with another of her five rebounds and was fouled with 1:47 left. Again, she drained both free throws. Both teams traded possessions and then Daniel picked a Bulldog guard in the backcourt and drove in for a fastbreak layup, giving Upstate an 83-74 lead with 1:05 left, sealing the win.

Three more free throws from Daniel, two from Wallace and two from junior Courtney Hawkins (Greer, S.C./Greer) helped sow up the game, as Upstate scored 19 of the game's last 25 points.

Wallace, who had hit just five of her last 25 (.200) 3-point attempts, broke out of the slump in a big way against the Bulldogs, draining 6-of-7 (86 percent) of her 3-point attempts, helping her finish with a career-high 31 points. Wallace is the first Spartan freshman to score 30 points since Jametria Hannah scored 34 points against Presbyterian on Feb. 16, 1989. She is the second freshman in school history to do so. She also added a perfect 7-for-7 night from the free-throw line and hit three 2-pointers in the game.

"It felt good," Wallace said of her slump-busting night. "I have been working on my shot more and eventually, tonight, they started going in."

Daniel and Peterson also each collected career-highs, with Daniel posting 14 points to go with five rebounds, an assist and a steal and Peterson posting 10 points, including a 6-for-8 night from the free-throw line, and five rebounds.

"At first, we started out slow," Daniel said, "but coming in for us as freshman, all three of us played well. I think we all know how we need to play the game and that's what we came out and did."

Richardson added her first career double-double and the second of the season for the Spartans, notching 14 points and 11 rebounds. She also added three assists. Hawkins finished with eight points. Sophomore Chelsea McMillan (Quincy, Fla./Santa Fe C.C.) added four points, five rebounds and a career-high tying four blocked shots despite foul trouble that limited her to 12 minutes. Senior Kelly Westfield (St. Petersburg, Fla./St. Petersburg College), making her first start of the season, finished with a season-high five points and three rebounds. The teams fought evenly in the first half until a jumper from Hawkins gave the Spartans an 18-16 lead. A traditional 3-point play from Westfield gave Upstate a five-point lead with 8:48 lead. The Spartan extended the lead to six points at 30-24, but layups from Shontavious Wylie and Samantha Daniels cut the lead to two points with 4:09 left in the half. As time ran out in the first half, a halfcourt steal from Reid helped Sophillia Hipps drain a jumper to cut the Upstate lead to 36-35 at halftime.

The Bulldogs took the lead with a bucket from Kristin Johnson to start the second half, but Upstate was soon able to take a five-point lead after two consecutive technical fouls were assessed against the S.C. State bench. The lead dropped to one point at 48-47 after two free throws from Wylie, but a 3-pointer and a traditional 3-point play from Wallace, who was fouled on a fast break dish from Richardson, gave Upstate a 54-47 lead with 13:54 left.

Hipps used a 3-point play of her own to cut the lead to two points just 44 seconds later and a free throw from LaTeia Brailey left the Bulldogs down by a point at 54-53. The Spartans built the lead back to five after a coast-to-coast 3-point play from Daniel made it 59-54 with 11:31 left.

Hipps again answered with a 3-point play of her own and a layup from Reid tied the game at 59 before Hipps gave the Bulldogs a 61-59 lead with 10:41 left. Neither team could gain control in the next five minutes, as neither team held more than a one-possession advantage and the score was tied three more times before Peterson ignited the Spartans' final run.

Reid finished with a season-high 30 points to go with six rebounds, three steals and two blocks for the Bulldogs. Hipps added 26 points, six rebounds and two assists. Raina Chambers dished out six assists and Johnson finished with 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks.

The Spartans will now hit the road after their three-game homestand, heading to Stetson for an Atlantic Sun Conference matchup at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Edmunds Center.

Notes
- The Spartans are now 2-5 all-time on Jan. 6.
- Sophomore Chelsea McMillan become the 18th player in school history to record 20 blocked shots in a season with her final swat of the night. She has 11 blocked shots in the last three games.
- Senior Kelly Westfield has scored nine points in the last two games, adding three rebounds and two steals.
- The Spartans are now 1-1 all-time against S.C. State, gaining redemption for a 109-45 loss at the SCAIAW Tournament in 1977.
- The Spartans are 4-1 this season at home and finished the non-conference part of their home slate with a perfect 3-0 record.
- Sophomore forward Sam Frost has an assist in each of her last four games. She finished with two helpers against the Bulldogs.
- Freshman Kendra Wallace has hit 27 3-pointers this season, moving past Brenda Wofford (1998-99) into ninth place in Upstate's freshman record book.
- The Spartans shot 50 percent (28-for-56) from the field for the second time this season. The team shot 57 percent in a 93-52 win over Montreat on Nov. 17.
- The Spartans scored 90 points for the second time this season and the sixth time in head coach Tammy George's four years as head coach. The team is 5-1 in 90-point games in that time.
- The Spartans established a new Division I-era record for wins, passing the mark of five set by the 2007-08 team in its first year of Division I play.