Box Score Ft. Myers, Fla. – USC Upstate's Chelsea McMillan turned in a strong game, but the Spartans fell victim to an early second half run as Florida Gulf Coast claimed a 70-59 victory in A-Sun women's basketball action Saturday night in Alico Arena.
McMillan (East Gadsden, Fla.) turned in her 12th double-double of the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds. She also had three assists and three blocked shots on the night.
Upstate fell to 12-10 overall and 8-5 in the A-Sun with the loss. The Spartans will travel to DeLand, Fla., Monday night to face Stetson at 7:00. FGCU improved to 18-1 overall and 11-1 in the conference with the victory, winning its 33rd home game in a row. The 33-game home winning streak is the third-longest in the nation behind Stanford and Connecticut.
Upstate battled tough with FGCU throughout the first half and withstood an Eagle flourish to stay within four at the half. FGCU held a 7-6 lead with 17:03 to play in the first half, then went on a 7-0 run to open an eight-point advantage, 14-6, with 14:41 to play. Upstate's Sharniece Wadelington (Greenville, S.C.) picked up three quick fouls during the run. One of the Spartans' top perimeter defenders, she was relegated to the bench for the rest of the half.
FGCU remained on top by eight, 16-8, but Upstate was determined to give the Eagles a fight. The Spartans used an 11-1 run to jump into the lead, 19-17, with 9:04 to go before the break. FGCU rallied back with an 8-1 run to take a 25-20 lead and went into halftime with a 32-28 advantage.
FGCU entered the game as the nation's leading three-point shooting team, hitting a little more than 11 per game. The Eagles managed to hit just 1-of-12 from the arc in the opening period as Upstate forced FGCU into tough shots. The Eagles shot 39 percent from the floor, while Upstate shot 36 percent. The Eagles did break through Upstate's defense for 11 layups in the first half alone.
With FGCU still leading by four early in the second half, the Eagles used a 7-0 run to open an 11-point advantage with 17:19 to play. Upstate cut the deficit to eight, but FGCU countered with a 6-0 spurt to take a 51-37 edge. The Eagles pushed the lead to 19 points with 12:14 to play and Upstate would only get as close as 11 points at the final buzzer.
FGCU shot 43 percent from the field in the second half and heated up from the three-point arc. The Eagles made 5-of-11 from downtown while also keeping its advantage with dribble penetration, converting eight in the second period. They shot 41 percent from the floor and 26 percent from the arc for the game, while making 14-of-17 from the free throw line.
Upstate shot 41 percent from the floor in the second half and 39 percent for the game. The Spartans made just 1-of-6 from the arc. The Spartans were 18-of-22 from the free throw line.
Lauren McRoberts (Carmel, Ind.) had a solid outing with 10 points and five rebounds as the second Spartan to reach double figures. Kendra Wallace (Hurricane, W.Va.) added nine points and three rebounds. She hit one three-pointer and is now just three shy of Upstate's all-time record of 169 held by Stephanie Feyes (2001-05).
Courtney Chihil led the FGCU attack with 22 points and four rebounds. Sarah Hansen, who had 12 points in the first half, added 16 points and five boards, while Kelsey Jacobson tallied 11 points.
