CONWAY, S.C. – The USC Upstate women's basketball team (1-11) closed out a four-game road stint tonight at Coastal Carolina (7-2) inside the Kimbel Arena, dropping its closest loss of the season with a 61-55 decision as freshman Paulina Zaveckaite (Telsiai, Lithuania) recorded the team's first double-double of the 2011-12 campaign.

With 4:59 to play in the first half, Coastal Carolina took a 10 point advantage, but Upstate battled back within five as the Chanticleers carried a 25-20 lead into the locker room at the break. The Spartans fought back and knotted things up at 36 with 12:45 to play in the second frame. Upstate kept things close for a while, but the Chants jumped ahead with a 10-4 run.

Coastal had a 54-47 lead with 2:16 to play, but the Spartans wouldn't give up. They chiseled that down to a two-point deficit off of a pair of free throws from Zaveckaite and junior Tyra Smith (Lawrenceville, Ga.), capped with a three-pointer from freshman Briana Robinson (Columbia, S.C.) with 37 seconds left. However, an Upstate foul put Kayla Cook at the line. The Spartans couldn't seem to recover after Cook's two made free throws. A few more made shots at the charity stripe for the Chanticleers and the game ended with a final five-point Spartan deficit.

Zaveckaite led Upstate, posting career-highs in points and rebounds with 15 points and 17 rebounds. This marked not only the first double-double for a Spartan this season, but also the first time an individual snagged double-digit rebounds in a single game. The last time an Upstate player recorded 15 rebounds or more was Jan. 24, 2011 against Lipscomb, when Chelsea McMillian (2008-2011) had 16.

Junior Tee'Ara Copney (Asheville, N.C.) was second on the Upstate squad tonight with 12 points, tallying her ninth double-figure scoring effort this season. Smith and Robinson added 10 points each. Smith handed out five assists on the night, while junior Hannah Ohl (Danville, Ill.) dished out three assists to go along with five points and three rebounds.

The Chanticleers were led by Olivia Irick with 10 points. Shanika Maddox flirted with a double-double for Coastal, registering nine points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Kayla Cook also posted nine points for the Chants, while pulling down six boards.  

Upstate owns a 5-3 overall advantage against the Chanticleers, including a 2-2 mark in Conway, S.C. In the teams' last meeting Dec. 30 in Spartanburg, S.C., Coastal Carolina claimed a 75-62 victory. Last season's contest was not only the first match-up between the two teams in the Division-I era, but also the first meeting since the 1985-86 season. That season the Spartans defeated Coastal Carolina 86-72 in Conway, S.C., Dec. 7.

Upstate returns to the Hodge Center Monday, Jan. 2, hosting Western Carolina at 7 p.m. Follow the Spartans this season on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.