JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Freshman Briana Robinson (Columbia, S.C.) scored the game-winning jumper with 1.2 seconds on the clock as the USC Upstate women's basketball team (3-15, 2-5 A-Sun) edged Atlantic Sun opponent North Florida (6-12, 3-4 A-Sun) 58-57 tonight inside UNF Arena.

North Florida jumped ahead early, taking a seven-point lead with 12 minutes to play in the first half. However, the Spartans battled back and thanks to nine points off of three three-pointers from sophomore Erin Pinkett (Cambridge, Md.) Upstate took a seven-point lead with 3:45 to go in the first frame. The Ospreys went on a 7-0 run to take a 28-26 lead with just over a minute to go in the half. A pair of free throws from Robinson with three seconds to play before the intermission knotted things up at 28-28. This marked the second time this season the score has been tied at halftime for Upstate.

The Spartans came out of the gate strong in the second stanza and took a seven-point lead (45-38) with 9:52 to play. However, the Ospreys wouldn't go away that easily. UNF fought back and took the lead 52-50 with 4:19 on the clock. A North Florida rebound off of a missed Spartan shot resulted in a layup for the Ospreys, giving them a 54-50 lead.

In a contest that saw 11 lead changes and the scored knotted up 10 times, the final 40 seconds proved the most exciting. Down by four with 40 seconds to go, Upstate brought the ball down the court and worked it around the top of the key. Junior Tyra Smith (Lawrenceville, Ga.) passed the ball to Robinson on the wing near the Spartan bench and the freshman guard drained the three, making it a one-point game 57-56 with 27 seconds left.

Strong defense by Upstate forced a turnover by the Ospreys as freshman center Paulina Zaveckaite (Telisia, Lithuania) picked-up the steal. The Spartans dribbled the ball past half court and called a timeout with 10 seconds on the clock. Upstate inbounded to Robinson as UNF fouled with 5.2 to play. The Spartans threw the ball into the Robinson again on the wing and the Ospreys picked-up another quick foul with 3.2 seconds left. The third time was the charm for Upstate as Robinson caught the inbound pass at the top of the key, dribbled inside the arc and banked the jumper in before the buzzer and before UNF had a chance to foul again, giving the Spartans the 58-57 win.

The Spartans were led by Robinson with a career-high 20 points, passing her previous career-best of 18 points set against Norfolk State Nov. 21. Pinkett was second on the team with nine points, while freshman Shelby Hicks (Greeneville, Tenn.) and junior Hannah Ohl (Danville, Ill.) added eight and seven points, respectively.

Hicks and Robinson snagged a team-high of six rebounds each for Upstate. Zaveckiate and Lauren McRoberts (Carmel, Ind.) each grabbed four boards, while junior Tee'Ara Copney (Asheville, N.C.) and Smith each handed out five assists for the Spartans. Copney also tallied six points, pulled down three rebounds and swiped a squad-high three steals.

The Ospreys were led by a trio of players scoring double-digits as Taylor Smith led the way with 12 points. Fabiola Josil and Brittany Kirkland each posted 10 points for North Florida. Josil led UNF with six rebounds, while Kirkland gave out a team-high five assists.

UNF shot 41.5 percent from the floor, while Upstate was 41.1 percent. The Spartans were better from three-point range than the Ospreys, going 33.3 percent from long distance compared to 22.2 percent. Upstate continued to be strong at the free throw line, shooting 75.0 percent, while North Florida was 64.7 percent from the charity stripe.

North Florida outscored Upstate in the paint 32-28, while Upstate bested UNF in points off of turnovers 18-10. The Ospreys scored eight fast break points, while the Spartans only tallied two. The UNF bench outscored the Upstate bench 18-13, while Upstate won the contest of second chances 10-7. The battle of the boards was a drawl as both teams grabbed 34 boards on the night.

Upstate returns to action Thursday, Jan. 19, hosting A-Sun foe Lipscomb at 7 p.m. in the Hodge Center. Follow the Spartans this season on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.