Box Score Spartanburg, S.C. – With starters Chelsea McMillan (fouls), Tee'Ara Copney (injury) and Lauren McRoberts (fouls) all on the bench for the final 1:47 of the game and USC Upstate clinging to a five-point advantage, the Spartans made nine of 14 free throws down the stretch to pull out an 87-81 victory over Radford Saturday evening in the Hodge Center.
The late-game free throw heroics did nothing to overshadow the performance of McMillan (East Gadsden, Fla.) who finished with her third double-double of the season and 24th of her career with 21 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out with 1:47 to play. When she fouled out, she joined McRoberts (Carmel, Ind.), who fouled out with 6:48 to play in the game, and Copney (Asheville, N.C.), who exited with a lower leg injury with 9:13 remaining.
"I thought we faced some adversity late in the game with some of our key players on the bench, but we stepped up and made some big free throws when we needed to," said Upstate head coach Tammy George, who has coached Upstate to three wins in three games in the Hodge Center this season. "This was a big win for us because we had to use so many different players to win the game. I hope this is a type of win that we can build on as we move toward conference play in January."
Upstate used a huge run in the first half to turn a five-point deficit into a 14-point lead to turn the tide in the game. Radford's Da'Naria Erwin-Spencer nailed a jumper to give the Highlanders a 19-14 lead with 10:06 to play in the half. But, Upstate outscored Radford 26-7 over the next 7:55 to open a 40-26 lead with 2:11 to play.
Copney had 11 points during the spurt and McMillan highlighted the run with a 30-foot buzzer-beater three-pointer at the 2:49 mark as Upstate gained control of the game. Despite Radford's efforts, the Spartans would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way.
Radford used a 12-6 spurt to get within eight, 46-38, at the half. Upstate shot 49 percent from the field and was a strong 5-of-9 from the three-point arc in the opening 20 minutes. Radford was not too far off what Upstate was able to produce. The Highlanders shot 45 percent from the field and were 3-of-7 from the arc.
Copney had 18 of her game-high 22 points in the first half, while McMillan totaled 15 of her 21 points in the opening frame.
After Upstate opened a 10-point lead, 48-38, on a jumper from McMillan to open the half, Radford made a push to get back in the game. The Highlanders used a 15-6 run to cut Upstate's advantage to one, 54-53, with 15:55 to play. However, Copney hit a jumper, Kendra Wallace (Hurricane, W.Va.) nailed a mid-range jumper, and Copney converted a layup to give the Spartans a 6-0 run and a seven-point lead with 14:04 to play in the game.
Upstate pushed the lead to 11 points with eight minutes to play and had to withstand another rally by Radford. The Highlanders whittled the lead to six with 4:33 to play and got back-to-back baskets from Brooke McElroy to get within two, 74-72, with 3:14 remaining. In fact, Radford held Upstate without a basket over the final 4:32.
Upstate turned to McMillan and the senior was fouled while grabbing one of her 14 rebounds on the night. She made both free throws to give Upstate a four-point cushion. The lead grew to six on a pair of free throws from Sharniece Wadelington (Greenville, S.C.) and Radford would get only as close as five the rest of the way as Upstate preserved the win at the free throw line. In all, Upstate made 13 free throws in the final 2:39 to account for all of the Upstate scoring during that span.
Upstate shot just 42 percent from the field in the second half, but clamped down defensively by holding Radford to 32 percent shooting. Radford was also just 4-of-15 from the arc in the second 20 minutes.
Upstate finished the game shooting 46 percent (26-of-57) from the field, 41 percent (7-of-17) from the three-point arc, and 72 percent from the free throw line, converting 28-of-39 from the stripe. Radford shot 37 percent (27-of-73) from the field, 32 percent (7-off-22) from the arc and 77 percent from the free throw line, hitting 20-of-26 from the stripe.
Copney finished with eight assists and four steals to go along with her 22 points. Wallace finished with 20 points, while Wadelington added eight points, six boards and five steals.
McElroy had a standout game for Radford. She turned in a double-double of her own with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Erwin-Spencer added 18 points and eight assists, while Denay Wood tallied 13 points and four steals.
