Feb. 26, 2009

Box Score

Spartanburg, S.C. - When the final buzzer sounded, players on both teams looked as if they had been put through the ringer. For all intent and purpose, they had. In an epic battle that saw USC Upstate rally from 18 down and battle just to force overtime and a second overtime period, the Spartans gutted out a 93-90 double overtime victory over Mercer Thursday night in the Hodge Center.

Upstate improved to 8-20 overall and 7-12 in the A-Sun. The win was the first multiple overtime victory in school history and also topped last year's win total. Mercer fell to 17-13 overall and 11-8.

Bobby Davis won the showdown between marquee players for both teams. He finished with 33 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals. James Florence was virtually unstoppable in the first half and finished the game with a game-high 38 points with five assists.

While Davis came up big for Upstate, the Spartans would not have been in position to win the game had it not been for the play of Nick Schneiders late in regulation. After Upstate had rallied from 12 down with 3:32 to play, Davis missed a free throw with Mercer leading 74-72 with 16 seconds to play. Schneiders battled three Mercer players for the rebound. He was able to slap the ball out from under the basket and across midcourt where Josh Chavis grabbed the loose ball and threw it to Pat Posey, Posey found Davis in the paint and the senior was fouled going up for the shot. This time, Davis converted both free throws to tie the game at 74 with 10 seconds remaining in regulation and Florence missed a three-pointer with less than a second to play as the game went into overtime.

"We were dead in the water," said Upstate head coach Eddie Payne. "For us to come back and win that game was incredible. We made multiple runs in the second half and Mercer answered each time. A lot of things happened in the game and it is a credit to our kids that we were able to come back and win. I am proud of our team. It is a great win for our kids."

The teams continued to put on what amounted to a heavyweight bout with both teams trying to throw the knockout blow in the first overtime period. Davis gave Upstate the lead, but Michael Ellis' two free throws tied the game at 76. Upstate again took the lead, but E.J. Kusnyer nailed a three-pointer to give Mercer a 79-78 lead. Josh Chavis converted a pair of free throws as the lead teetered back to Upstate's side. Florence's two free throws shifted the lead back to the Bears before Davis gave Upstate a one-point advantage on a layup with 1:58 to play.

Daniel Emerson converted a layup to give Mercer a one-point lead and his two free throws with 26 seconds to play put Mercer ahead by three, 85-82. With time running down, Chavis took a three-pointer with 10 seconds to play, but the shot bounced off the rim. Carter Cook battled for the rebound and found Gabor Boros on the right wing and the senior delivered the game-tying three-pointer with seven seconds to play. Florence missed a running three-pointer at the buzzer as the game was sent to double overtime.

With both teams exhausted, Upstate grabbed an early lead on Nick Schneiders' dunk and increased the lead to three on Davis' free throw with 3:45 to play. Fatigue had set in as both teams missed scoring opportunities. Mark Hall's layup with 1:57 on the clock got Mercer within one, but Davis countered with a layup as the Spartans led by three. Josh Chavis came up with a steal on the other end of the court and made both free throws after being fouled to give Upstate an insurmountable five-point lead with 45 seconds to play. Mercer missed two free throws and a three-pointer over the next 30 seconds as Upstate took the win. Emerson nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to cut the final deficit to three.

"We knew we could do it," said Upstate forward Bobby Davis. "We were down. We came back. We made some big stops at the right time."

For a long time, Upstate looked like it was going to suffer a loss. Florence was nearly unstoppable in the first half, finishing with 27 to lead Mercer to a 44-27 lead at halftime. Emerson's three-pointer with 19:01 to play in the second half gave Mercer its biggest lead, 18. That's when Upstate began to battle back into the lead.

The Spartans methodically cut into the lead and Chavis' three-pointer with 8:35 to play cut the Mercer lead to seven, 61-54. However, Mercer used a 6-0 run to push the lead to 13 points. Upstate continued to battle, but the deficit was 12 points with 3:32 to play in regulation. The Spartans closed out the half on a 14-2 run to send the game to overtime. Pat Posey had four points and the Spartan defense forced three-straight turnovers on inbounds plays after made baskets to key the run.

While Davis and Florence were key players in the game, they were not alone in leading their teams. Chavis finished with 20 points and two steals for Upstate, while Schneiders added 10 points, seven rebounds and a career-high seven blocked shots. Posey turned in 11 points, six boards and three assists.

Emerson finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds for Mercer, while Kusnyer added 14 points and three rebounds. Ellis added a solid 10 points and nine boards.

Notes: The game was the first in the A-Sun since Feb. 17, 2006 that players from each team scored 30 points. Ironically, the game also ended in a 93-90 score, but Mercer prevailed over Jacksonville as Mercer's Andrew Brown finished with 35 and Jacksonville's Marcus Allen finished with 30.

The game marked the first time since Jan. 11, 2005 that Upstate has scored 90 points in a game.

Bobby Davis' 33 points is the first time since Jay Free's 36 points on Nov. 28, 2005 that an Upstate player has scored 30 points or more in a game.

The last time Upstate won an overtime game was a 79-77 victory over Salem international on Nov. 24, 2006.

The win marked Upstate's first overtime win in the Division I era.