Box Score FORT MYERS, Fla. – The USC Upstate women's basketball team (1-10, 0-2 A-Sun) closed-out its Sunshine State swing with a 77-53 loss at Atlantic Sun Conference foe Florida Gulf Coast (7-1, 2-0 A-Sun) today inside the Alico Arena.
Once again, the Spartans struggled to get things going in the first half, giving the Eagles, who are ranked No. 4 in the most recent Mid-Major Top 25 poll, a 38-16 advantage at the intermission. Upstate shot 25.0 percent in the first frame, but came alive in the second stanza to shoot 58.3 percent from the floor. Despite the 22 point deficit, FGCU only scored two more points than Upstate in the second half (39-37).
The Spartans were led by a trio of double-figure scorers all registering individual season-highs in their first year in an Upstate jersey. Junior-college transfer Hannah Ohl (Danville, Ill.) led the pack with 15 points, marking her third double-digit scoring effort of the season and second time posting the team-high. Junior-college transfer Tyra Smith (Lawrenceville, Ga.) put-up a season-best 13 points, while dishing out five assists. Freshman Paulina Zaveckaite (Telsiai, Lithuania) flirted with her first career double-double with a season-high 12 points and nine rebounds, but she couldn't manage to find the 10th board in the remaining three minutes.
Junior Lauren McRoberts (Carmel, Ind.) was second on the team for Upstate with four rebounds, while Smith and Ohl each grabbed three boards. Junior Tee'Ara Copney (Asheville, N.C.) swiped a team-high three steals for the Spartans to go along with three points and two rebounds, while Smith snagged two steals.
The Eagles were led by Sarah Hansen with 23 points and a game-high four steals, while Courtney Chihil and Nicoya Jackson added nine points each. Whitney Knight posted a team-best four rebounds for FGCU and recorded eight points. Eglah Griffin also tallied eight points on the night and four steals, while Brittany Kennedy handed out six assists for the Eagles.
The Spartans won the battle of the boards for the first time this season, outrebounding FGCU 30-24. Upstate was 43.2 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from behind the arc, while the Eagles were 45.1 percent from the floor and 44.0 percent from long distance. Despite shooing the three-ball well, the Eagles were not as good from the charity stripe as the Spartans. Upstate shot 75.0 percent (12-of-16) from the line, compared to FGCU's 69.0 percent (20-of-29).
FGCU owns a 6-2 overall advantage against the Spartans, including a 5-0 mark in Fort Myers, Fla. In the teams' last meeting Feb. 28 in Spartanburg, S.C., the Spartans claimed a 75-74 victory. In the first contest between the two last season, Upstate dropped a 70-59 decision to the Eagles in Fort Myers, Fla., Feb. 5.
Upstate finishes its four-game road stint, traveling to Coastal Carolina Thursday, Dec. 29 with a 7 p.m. tip-off. Follow the Spartans this season on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
