Stetson Squashes Spartan Rally In A-Sun Opener
12/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2009
DeLAND, Fla. - It was almost the miracle comeback that the USC Upstate women's basketball team has grown so accustomed to making in the past three years, but Stetson was able to score 14 of the game's last 19 points to take a 69-61 decision on Thursday night at the Edmunds Center in Upstate's Atlantic Sun Conference season opener.
The Spartans (5-4 overall, 0-1 A-Sun) found themselves down by 17 points with 4:35 left in the first half, but worked all the way back into the game as freshman Tee'Ara Copney was left all alone on an outlet pass by freshman Lauren McRoberts (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) and Copney raced in for a layup as Upstate took a 56-55 lead with 4:53 left. Neither team could convert on multiple possessions from there until junior Chelsea McMillan (East Gadsden, Fla./Santa Fe C.C.) fouled out of the game with 3:09 left, sending Kerri Simpson to the line. Simpson hit both free throws, and without Upstate's top scorer and rebounder on the floor in McMillan, Stetson (1-7 overall, 1-1 A-Sun) never trailed again.
"We executed a third of our game plan well," Upstate head coach Tammy George said. "We forced the ball away from them35 times. However, we did not attack on the boards and while a lot of that was due to Chelsea's foul trouble, we still can't use that as an excuse. We never got in a rhythm on offense and we just never really gave ourselves a chance to. That said, to be outrebounded by 23 and still have a shot to win with a minute to play says we can stay in a game when we aren't playing our best. We just need to figure out how to grind a win out in this situation."
A layup by Daphnee Frieson gave Stetson a 3-point lead after an Upstate turnover. McRoberts hit a layup with 2:23 left to make it 59-58, but Kerri Simpson hit just Stetson's second 3-pointer of the night to make it 62-58 with 2:02 left, igniting the final 10-3 run. Upstate closed within five in the final minute after a layup by sophomore Lesley Daniel (Collinwood, Tenn./Collinwood), but that was as close as they could get, as Stetson used three free throws to close out the game.
Upstate's offense looked to be out and running when a jumper by McMillan gave the Spartans a 9-5 lead with 17:17 left in the first, but McMillan's second foul came just 14 seconds later. From there, the Hatters were able to control much of the next 14 minutes, igniting on a 27-14 run led by the play of Jessica Conner and Brown, who combined for 27 points in the half.
Upstate finally started to claw back with 4:19 left as sophomore Kendra Wallace (Hurricane, W.Va./Nitro) hit a trey and Daniel converted a 3-point play to make it 36-25. From there, the two teams exchanged points, with Stetson heading to the locker room with a 39-28 lead.
After a Stetson 3-point play by Conner started the second half, Upstate started to chip away at the 14-point lead with a jumper by McRoberts and a fastbreak layup by Daniel cutting the lead to 10 with 18:20 left. The teams exchanged buckers and then a fastbreak layup by junior Shadae Thompson (Greenville, S.C./Anderson (S.C.) University) cut the lead to eight with 15:23 left. Stetson scored four points, but Wallace hit back-to-back threes to cut the lead to six and even answered Stetson's fourth traditional 3-point play by hitting another from long distance to make it 51-45 with 12:21 left. The teams traded buckets again and freshman Tee'Ara Copney (Asheville, N.C./T.C. Roberson) connected on a three to cut the lead to three. After a Stetson bucket, Copney connected on a pair of free throws and McMillan got a steal to start a break that Wallace finished to bring Upstate within one and then McRoberts found Copney on a rebound to give Upstate the lead.
Wallace finished with 19 points as she hit a season-high five 3-pointers in 11 attempts. Daniel added 10 points, four assists and four blocks and senior Koko Richardson (Mary Esther, Fla./Santa Fe C.C.) added five points and four assists. McRoberts contributed six points and 11 rebounds and Copney finished with seven points, three assists and four steals.
Conner led the Hatters with 22 points and 13 rebounds and Tierra Brown added 16 points, six rebounds and five assists. Daphnee Frieson added nine points and six rebounds and Kerri Simpson posted eight points and nine rebounds. Natasha Graboski also added nine points and eight rebounds.
The Spartans will get back on the court and for the tail end of their four-game road trip by heading to FGCU on Saturday for a 7:05 p.m. tip.
Notes:
The Spartans are 1-2 all-time on Dec. 17, last falling to Presbyterian, 94-85, in 2006.
Freshman Lauren McRoberts' 11 rebounds were a career-high.
