Spartans Storm Back For Win Over ETSU
12/4/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Spartanburg, S.C. – USC Upstate stormed from behind with a second half rally and opened A-Sun play with a gutsy 78-70 victory over East Tennessee State University Saturday evening in the newly renovated Hodge Center.
Playing in the renovated Hodge Center for the first time this season, Upstate fell behind by 14 points in the second half. However, it used an 11-0 run midway through the half to get back in the game and went on for the eight-point win. The Spartans improved to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the A-Sun. ETSU fell to 2-4 overall and 0-1 in the league. The game pitted two teams picked to finish at the top of the A-Sun standings in the preseason coaches poll. ETSU was picked to finish second, while Upstate was picked third.
"This is a huge win for us," said Upstate head coach Tammy George. "We talked a lot after the PC (Presbyterian College) game that this was a game where we could make a statement, a statement of who we are or who we are not. This is a huge win for our program."
Chelsea McMillan (East Gadsden, Fla.) led Upstate with 20 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Tee'Ara Copney (Asheville, N.C.) added 17 points, while Lauren McRoberts (Carmel, Ind.) had a strong all-around game with 11 points, eight boards, five assists and three steals. However, it was the play of freshman Kyana Jacobs (Dale City, Va.) in the second half that went a long way in delivering the win for the Spartans.
Jacobs scored seven of her career-high nine points in the second half and made four free throws in the final 1:32 to seal the win for the Spartans.
"With this team, it's someone different every night," said George. "We are a very balanced team. Tonight, Kyana stepped up big for us. She did a great job handling the ball in the second half and made some key free throws for us."
For a long time, it didn't look like Upstate would ring in the new Hodge Center era on a positive note. The teams jockeyed for position in the first half until ETSU, down 20-19, used an 8-0 run to take a 27-20 lead with 7:11 to play. Upstate tied the game at 27-27, but ETSU rattled off a 14-1 run to open a 41-28 lead with 1:30 to play before halftime. The Lady Bucs took a 41-32 lead into the break.
ETSU maintained the lead in the second half and opened its largest lead, 14 points, with 13:41 to play. The Lady Bucs looked in full control of the game.
That's when Upstate made its stand to get back into the game. Five different Spartans scored in an 11-0 run, capped by a three-pointer from McRoberts, to cut the lead to three, 53-50, with 9:30 to play in the game.
ETSU took the lead back to seven, but Upstate continued its rally and when Copney nailed a jumper with 6:14 remaining, the Spartans came all the way back to tie the game at 59-59. But, Upstate was not done. After ETSU had opened its seven-point lead, the Spartans used a 17-4 run to open a 67-61 lead with 3:15 to play.
ETSU battled back to tie the game at 68-68 with 1:37 remaining. Jacobs then converted a pair of free throws five seconds later and Kendra Wallace (Hurricane, W.Va.) converted a layup on an assist from McMillan to give the Spartans a four-point lead. ETSU managed to cut the lead to two, but Upstate made six free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.
"I thought we only played 10 or 12 minutes in the first half," said George. "We kind of stopped playing in the last 10 minutes of the half. We gave them easy scoring opportunities with our turnovers. I thought we set the tone early in the second half and took control of the game. We took care of the ball a lot better in the second half, and Kyana played a big part in that."
Upstate shot 38 percent from the field for the game and was 24 percent from the three-point arc. The Spartans converted 22-of-29 from the free throw line. Wallace finished with 10 points as the fourth Spartan to reach double figures in the game. Upstate turned the ball over 23 times, 13 in the first half.
ETSU shot 35 percent from the field and 25 percent from the three-point arc. The Lady Bucs were solid at the line, hitting 17-of-21 from the stripe. Destiny Mitchell led all scorers with 23 points and 10 rebounds. She also picked up four steals. Shawn Randall added 15 points, while Natalie Pickwell added 10. Latisha Belcher finished with a solid seven points and 13 boards.
