Jan. 17, 2010

Box Score

Spartanburg, S.C. - Ryan LeGates nailed a three-pointer to tie the game and send it into overtime and another to put Upstate ahead for good in the overtime period, and Mezie Uzochukwu recorded his third double-double in the last five games to lead USC Upstate to a thrilling 66-62 victory over Kennesaw State in A-Sun men's basketball action Sunday afternoon in the Hodge Center.

Upstate appeared to have won the game in regulation after Uzochukwu picked up a loose ball and scooped a shot off the glass and into the basket as time expired. However, the referees waved off the shot saying it was still in his hands when the lights came on and the horn sounded, much to the chagrin of the Hodge faithful and the Upstate basketball team.

Upstate improved to 2-15 overall and 2-6 in the A-Sun with the win, ending a 10-game losing streak. Kennesaw State fell to 6-12 overall and 1-6 in the league with the loss. Upstate owns a 3-1 lead in the series with the Owls since joining the A-Sun in 2007.

The game marked the first time in the Division I era that Upstate placed five players in double figures. Uzochukwu led the way with 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds to pace the Spartans. Pat Posey also scored 13 points, while LeGates finished with a career-high 11 points. Josh Chavis and Nick Schneiders tallied 11 and 10 points each.

"We made a lot of mistakes, but we made things happen to win the game," said Upstate head coach Eddie Payne. "Mezie (Uzochukwu) was really a man out there. He was really, really tough. I have to give our kids a lot of credit."

The end of regulation was frantic. Upstate fell behind by eight points, 53-45, with 6:00 to play in the regulation. The Spartans then held Kennesaw State scoreless the rest of the way to send it into overtime.

Schneiders started the 8-0 run to close the second half on an alley-oop from Uzochukwu. The play seemed to energize Upstate. Chavis nailed a three-pointer to get the Spartans within three, and LeGates tied the game with his trey at the 1:13 mark.

"LeGates made a couple of big plays," said Payne. "He's not afraid. He is absolutely fearless. He is not afraid to make a big play. It felt like when he made that big shot to tie the game, there was a real momentum shift in the game."

Kennesaw State missed eight shots in the final six minutes, including Spencer Dixon's running jumper with five seconds to play. Upstate took possession of the ball and a clock mishap caused the Spartans to take the ball out just beyond half court with two seconds to play, setting up the final heave from Uzochukwu that appeared to have left his hands before the buzzer, but was called off.

Upstate was solid in overtime. Markeith Cummings nailed a three-pointer to give Kennesaw State a 56-53 lead at the 4:39 mark. Schneiders responded with a layup and Posey followed with a layup of his own as Upstate took the lead, 57-56.

After Kennesaw State took the lead back by one, Uzochukwu stepped up big and converted a three-point play to give the Spartans a 60-58 lead. Dixon nailed a jumper to tie the game with 1:52 to play, but LeGates nailed his third three-pointer of the game to give Upstate the lead for good, 63-60, with 1:33 remaining. The Spartans increased the lead to six points before Zadrian Gibson's dunk at the buzzer cut the final margin to four.

The teams battled throughout the first half before Kennesaw State grabbed control late in the period. With the score tied at 22-22 with 4:42 to play before halftime, the Owls used a 9-0 run to close the half and take a 31-22 lead into the locker room.

Kennesaw State added to its lead in the second half and opened a 41-30 lead, its biggest of the game, with 15:55 to play. However, Upstate made a quick comeback, cutting the deficit to two with 12:34 to play. Posey had six of his 13 points during the spurt as the Spartans rallied back into the game.

Despite grabbing 27 offensive rebounds on the day, Kennesaw State was hampered by poor shooting. The Owls made just 28 percent of their field goal attempts. They were solid from the three-point arc, hitting 12-of-29 for the game. They only went to the free throw line twice and were 2-of-4 from the charity stripe.

Upstate's free throw shooting nearly cost the Spartans in the game. Upstate missed its first nine free throws, but made 4-of-5 in overtime to seal the win. The Spartans shot 47 percent from the field and converted 8-of-20 from the three-point arc. Upstate dominated in the paint, outscoring Kennesaw State, 34-16.

Dixon led Kennesaw State with 15 points and eight assists. Cummings added 13 points, seven boards, three assists and three steals. LaDaris Green finished with 13 rebounds to go along with five assists for the Owls.

"Coach always said that you have to step up and make plays to win games," said Uzochukwu. "I think we really bought into that. It was disappointing that they didn't count the shot at the end of regulation, but it also showed the character of our team. We knew we had five more minutes to play some more basketball. It's a fun game, why wouldn't you want to play more."