Nov. 30, 2009

Box Score

Spartanburg, S.C. - For a USC Upstate team entering Monday night's game against Stetson in need of a solid offensive effort, the Spartans sure delivered with a torrid offensive performance in all aspects of the game, taking a 78-56 victory in their A-Sun opener against the Hatters in the Hodge Center.

Upstate shot 61.2 percent (30-of-49) from the field, its highest shooting percentage in a game since the 2002-03 season, and was 66.7 percent (8-of-12) from the three-point arc. The Spartans even turned in a strong performance at the free throw line, hitting 10-of-14 for the game. It all added up to a 22-point victory.

"Obviously its nice for us to get a win," said Upstate head coach Eddie Payne. "We have struggled and we are fragile. I think the fact that we got off to a good, quick start gave us some confidence. We shot the ball extremely well, partly because we played so well inside-out. The entire team contributed. All in all, there were a lot of good performances and a lot of guys who did a lot of good things. I am pleased with the win, obviously."

Upstate put the game away with a decisive 20-0 run over a 7:25 span that turned a four-point advantage, 56-52, with 9:23 to play in the game, into a 24-point lead, 76-52, with 1:58 remaining. Nick Schneiders scored six of the Spartans' first eight points in the run to spark Upstate.

"When we got close, we turned to Nick, and he delivered, and that opened up some more things for us," said Upstate head coach Eddie Payne.

By the time Stetson's Mark Lohuis sank a pair of free throws with 1:45 to play, the game was already decided as Upstate claimed its first win of the season and now sits tied atop the A-Sun standings with its conference-opening win. The Spartans improved to 1-5 overall on the year and will travel to Wichita, Kan., to take on Wichita State Saturday night at 8:05 EST. Stetson fell to 2-4 overall and 0-1 in the league with the loss. The Hatters travel to Louisville Wednesday night.

Upstate was dominant early on, scoring the game's first eight points. The Spartans owned a nine-point lead on three different occasions before Stetson rallied to cut the lead to three with 11:58 to play before halftime. However, Upstate answered with a 10-0 run which started with back-to-back three-pointers from Sharod Minus and Josh Chavis. After Stetson cut the lead to nine, Upstate used another run to open its advantage further. Chavis' three-pointer with 2:31 to play before halftime gave the Spartans a 17-point lead, 38-21. Stetson shaved four points off of the deficit as Upstate took a 38-25 lead into the intermission.

Upstate shot 60 percent from the field in the half, converting 15-of-25 field goal attempts. The Spartans were hot from the arc as well, hitting 6-of-9 from three-point range. Stetson shot just under 41 percent from the field in the half and made just 4-of-14 from the arc.

Stetson opened the second half with a jumper to cut Upstate's lead to 11 and methodically whittled away at the lead until A.J. Smith's free throw with 11:37 to play got the Hatters within three, 50-47. The lead stood at four, 56-52, with 9:23 remaining in the game when Upstate used its 20-point run to put the game out of reach.

"It was important that we stayed focussed and did what we needed to do to win the game," said Payne. "We were able to execute and stretch the lead out."

Chavis shot 7-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-5 from the three-point arc, to finish with a game-high 18 points to lead a balanced Upstate scoring attack. He also added four assists and two steals. Schneiders added a strong 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, three assists and a block. Minus finished with a career-high eight points before leaving the game and receiving 12 stitches in his forehead. Carter Cook added nine points and four assists in the win, while Mezie Uzochukwu finished with a solid seven points and six boards.

Tyshawn Patterson led Stetson with 17 points and three assists. Smith added 12 points and four assists, while Ridge Graham finished with 10 points and four rebounds for the Hatters. Stetson finished the game shooting 40 percent from the field and 33 percent from the three-point arc.