Spartans Edge UMES 87-83 in Season Opener
11/8/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Princess Anne, Md. – The USC Upstate women's basketball team held on for an exciting 87-83 victory Friday evening in its season opener against the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks at the W.P. Hytche Center.
Sharmayne Edwards, playing in her first game for the Spartans, scored a game-high 24 points and was one of three Upstate players to score in double-figures. Edwards was joined in double-figures by Alex Stanford's 15 points and Raven Jefferson's 14. Shelby Hicks finished just shy of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
The Spartans (1-0) got off to a slow start offensively in the opening three minutes as they trailed 6-1 on a layup by the Hawks' Jessica Long at the 17:40 mark. Upstate answered with a 10-3 run and took its first lead of the game at 11-9 on Paris Johnson's layup three minutes later.
Edwards scored 17 of her 24 points in the first half as she helped the Spartans stretch their lead to seven points, 16-9, after a three-point basket and a jumper. Raven Jefferson's three-pointer increased Upstate's lead to 21-11 with 11:13 left and then Hicks gave the Spartans their largest lead of the half at 28-14 on her jumper.
A 7-2 run by UMES cut Upstate's lead to 28-21, but the Spartans responded by improving their lead back to 14 points, 37-23, on Maddie Herr's free-throw at the 6:16 mark. Upstate held a double-digit lead for a majority of the last six minutes and sported a 10-point cushion at 50-40 heading into the locker room.
The Hawks (0-1) spent the opening three minutes at the free-throw line and cut the Spartans' lead to 52-46. Upstate was able to stretch its lead back to 10 on Edwards' jumper, but a 9-2 run put UMES back in the game, 68-65, on TeAmber Burke's three-pointer with 10:47 remaining. Alexis Udoji's layup made it a one-point contest at 68-67 and the Hawks would take its first lead since the beginning of the game, 72-71, on back-to-back free-throws by Burke.
The Spartans took the lead back on Brittany Starling's layup and stayed ahead until the final minute of the game. Long put UMES ahead 84-83 with 47 seconds left to set up a thrilling finish to the season's first game.
Edwards answered Long's free-throw with a jumper to put Upstate back in the lead at 84-83. A key defensive rebound by Hicks prevented the Hawks from taking the lead back, and her two free-throws extended the Spartans advantage to 86-83. Stanford's free-throw with three seconds left sealed the win for Upstate.
The Spartans finished the game shooting an even 50 percent (33-for-66) from the field while UMES went 23-of-69 overall for a 33.3 percent mark.
Burke and Long led all Hawk scorers with 17 points each. Shawnee Sweeney added 16 points and Ashleigh Claybrooks contributed 12.
Upstate hosts Converse College Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. in its home opener.
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