Feb. 15, 2009

Final Stats

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Freshman Kendra Wallace (Hurricane, W.Va./Nitro) set the USC Upstate women's basketball team's freshman record for 3-pointers and sophomore Chelsea McMillan (Quincy, Fla./Santa Fe C.C.) posted her second straight double-double, but a hot-shooting Lipscomb scored a season-high 94 points in a 94-77 win at Allen Arena on Sunday afternoon in Atlantic Sun Conference action.

"That was one of our poorest defensive efforts this year," Upstate head coach Tammy George said. "We came out flat and Lipscomb took advantage. They hit open shots all night long and they got open looks off rebounds. We have come out flat in a lot of games lately and that has cost us. We need to find a way to play 40 minutes a game."

Wallace, who hit three 3-pointers and posted 15 points, passed Kristen Metcalf (2005-06), who hit 60 3-pointers in her rookie season, with her second trifecta. Wallace also crossed 300 points on the season, finishing the game with 307. She is one of eight players in school history to score 300 points as a freshman.

McMillan posted 25 points and 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. She also added two blocks, giving her 37 on the season, moving her into seventh in school history, two assists and two steals.

Junior Kolesia Richardson (Mary Esther, Fla./Santa Fe C.C.) posted a career-high 18 points as she hit two 3-pointers and added six rebounds and two assists.

The Spartans also blocked four shots as a team in the game, setting a new team record for rejections in a season with 102, surpassing the previous-best mark of 101 set by the 2002-03 squad. A block by senior Cherale Powell (Wilkesboro, N.C./Wilkes C.C.) with 2:50 left set the mark.

Early problems on the glass once again hurt the Spartans (11-14 overall, 6-10 A-Sun), who found themselves in a 14-5 hole, as the Lady Bisons (5-20 overall, 3-13 A-Sun) posted nine of the first 11 rebounds in the game. Wallace's record-breaking 3-pointer helped get the Spartans back on track, making the score 14-8.

The Bisons got the lead back to nine points on a 3-pointer from Chelsea Burroughs, but Upstate started to score and after a layup from Clair Waggener made it 19-10, the Spartans went on a 16-7 run that included five points from Richardson and four from McMillan.

However, after Upstate tied the game at 28, back-to-back 3-pointers from Jillian Partin helped the Lady Bisons take a 34-28 lead with 4:45 left. The Spartans cut the lead back to two points twice, but a 5-0 run concluded the half, including a last-second jumper from Brittany Duerk that just beat the buzzer, as hot-shooting Lipscomb (17-for-28, 61 percent) headed to the locker room with a 45-38 lead.

The Lady Bisons expanded the seven-point lead to 18 in the second half thanks to a 19-8 run to open the half, capped by a 3-pointer from Chelsea Burroughs. Upstate could get no closer than 14 points the rest of the game, although Lipscomb cooled off to shoot 49 percent (18-for-37) in the second half.

Lipscomb, who snapped a Division I-era long nine-game losing streak, was led by 21 points from Partin, who hit two 3-pointers and also added eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. Burroughs added 14 points and four assists. Clair Waggener and Katie Rollins each posted 13 points, with Waggener adding seven rebounds and Rollins notching eight boards. Jenna Bartsokas scored 10 points.

Freshman Lesley Daniel (Collinwood, Tenn./Collinwood) posted seven points and a career-high tying five rebounds and sophomore Kim Pitman (Plumtree, N.C./Avery) added two points and a season-high five rebounds.

Upstate will head to Campbell for its final road game of the 2008-09 season on Saturday. Tip is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on Comcast Sports South.

Notes
- The Spartans are 6-7 all-time on Feb. 15 ... They are 0-2 at Allen Arena ... They are 2-2 all-time against Lipscomb.
- Upstate used its NCAA Division I-leading 18th different starting lineup of the season.
- Upstate's 38 points in the first half was the most this season against a Division I opponent ... The Spartans scored 48 in the first half against Montreat on Nov. 17.
- Upstate's 77 points were the most scored in a loss in the DI era.
- Freshman Kendra Wallace hit three 3-pointers, marking the 22nd game this season that she canned at least one trey ... With 62 3-pointers this year, she is fourth in Upstate's single-season record book.
- Sophomore Chelsea McMillan posted two blocked shots, giving her 37 on the season ... She is currently seventh in school history in the category.