Feb. 13, 2009

Final Stats

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A furious late rally brought the USC Upstate women's basketball team within two points, but two free throws from Belmont's Amber Rockwell with 11 seconds left helped seal a 67-61 Belmont win in Atlantic Sun Conference action on Friday night at the Curb Event Center.

Down 61-51 with 3:42 left, the Spartans (11-13 overall, 6-9 A-Sun) made a furious run to cut the lead to two points, scoring 12 of the game's next 16 points. Sophomore Chelsea McMillan (Quincy, Fla./Santa Fe C.C.) started the run with a jumper in the paint and a second-chance 3-pointer from freshman Lesley Daniel (Collinwood, Tenn./Collinwood) cut the lead to five points with 2:40 left. After a layup from Tereva Moore, McMillan converted a twisting, turning layup in the paint, keeping it a five-point game with 1:45 left.

Belmont (16-8 overall, 11-4 A-Sun) missed three shots to extend the lead and the Spartans missed a 3-pointer as well, but Daniel connected on another trifecta with 16 seconds left to cut the lead to 63-61. Forced to foul, the Spartans sent Amber Rockwell to the line who converted both and after a missed Spartan 3-pointer, Moore closed the game with a pair of free throws with 0.8 seconds left.

"I am proud of how the team played with so much heart," Upstate head coach Tammy George said. "Unfortunately, we ran out of time to catch up because we got down by so much early in the game, which has been a problem for us lately. Belmont is one of the best teams in the league and they showed a lot of poise down the stretch to hold us off."

McMillan had one of the finest games of her young career, as she posted 21 points on 9-of-18 from the field and added a career-high 15 rebounds. She also posted a block and a steal in the game. Freshman Chelsey Peterson (Irmo, S.C./Dutch Fork) also played with poise and determination in the injury-riddled frontcourt which played only four players in the post all night, as she scored a career-high 16 points and added a career-high four blocks.

A 3-pointer by freshman Kendra Wallace (Hurricane, W.Va./Nitro) started the second half with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to three points at 35-32, and for the rest of the first nine minutes of the half, the teams battled back and forth with Upstate not getting closer than three points and Belmont not holding a lead of more than five.

Finally, a layup from Jessica Bobbitt gave the Bruins a seven-point lead at 49-42 with 11:15 left and the Bruins lead grew to nine after a layup from Rockwell, but junior Courtney Hawkins (Greer, S.C./Greer) cut the lead to six with a 3-pointer. The teams traded buckets and then a jumper by Wallace with 7:09 cut the lead to four points at 53-49, but Belmont used an 8-2 run to take a 10-point lead with 3:42 left.

The Bruins got took a 24-9 lead with a 6-0 run and still holding a 14-point lead at 27-13 after a 3-pointer from Rachel Swisher banked in with 8:11 left in the half.

The Spartans, however, controlled the next 4 ½ minutes, going on a 15-2 run to cut the lead to 29-28 with 3:48 left in the half. The run started with a bit of swagger from freshman Lesley Daniel (Collinwood, Tenn./Collinwood), who answered Swisher's trey by running down the court and spotting up from the right corner for her own 3-pointer. After that, McMillan took over, scoring eight points, including four in a row to cap the run.

The Bruins were able to close the half on a 6-1 run, though, even though the Spartans had two possessions where they could have tied or taken the lead. Five straight points from Rockwell, including a 3-pointer, helped her finish the half with 15 points and helped the Bruins take a 35-29 lead into halftime.

The Bruins got out to a 12-2 lead thanks to getting nine of the game's first 12 rebounds. The Bruins also had a hot-shooting Amber Rockwell, who contributed eight points and two 3-pointers in the opening run. Belmont's lead grew to 16-4 before the Spartan offense clicked into action with a fastbreak layup from senior Kelly Westfield (St. Petersburg, Fla./St. Petersburg College) and a wide open 3-pointer from junior CourtneyHawkins (Greer, S.C./Greer), cutting the lead to 18-9.

Daniel finished with nine points, a career-high-tying three 3-pointers, and a career-high six assists in front of a crowd that included many of her family and friends from nearby Collinwood, Tenn. Hawkins finished with six points, five rebounds and two assists.

Rockwell finished with 19 points, five rebounds and two assists to lead the Bruins. Bobbitt added 14 points, two rebounds and three steals and LaWanna Holiday added eight points, seven assists and four rebounds.

The Spartans face Lipscomb on Sunday at 2 p.m. and wrap up their 2008-09 road schedule by facing Campbell on Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. on a game that will be broadcast on Comcast Sports South.

Notes
- The Spartans are 4-7 all-time on Feb. 13 ... They are 0-2 all-time at the Curb Event Center ... They are 0-4 against Belmont.
- Freshman Kendra Wallace hit a 3-pointer, marking the 21st game this season that she canned at least one trey ... With 59 3-pointers this year, she is fifth in Upstate's single-season record book and two 3-pointers from setting the Upstate freshman mark.
- Sophomore Chelsea McMillan posted one blocked shot, giving her 35 on the season ... She is currently seventh in school history in the category.
- Sophomore Chelsea McMillan posted 13 points and 12 rebounds in the first half ... It was the second time this season she posted a double-double in one half, also posting 21 points and 13 rebounds in the second half against Lipscomb on Jan. 15 ... She has five double-doubles in the last 10 games.
- Ten blocks from the school record of 101 blocked shots in a season when the game started, the Spartans got halfway to the goal in the first half with five rejections ... Upstate finished the game with seven blocks and 98 on the year, which is three from the school record of 101 set in 2002-03.
- McMillan's 15 rebounds was the first 15-rebound effort for a Spartan since Ebony Johnson posted 16 boards at UNC Asheville on Jan. 8, 2008.