FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katie Parker, kparker@uscupstate.edu

Box Score (PDF) 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Despite holding a four-point lead at the half, the USC Upstate women's basketball team (11-17, 7-10 A-Sun) allowed Jacksonville (10-17, 6-10 A-Sun) to open the second half with a 25-4 run to eventually claim a 73-54 victory inside Swisher Gymnasium in Atlantic Sun Conference action.

The Dolphins jumped in front early, taking a five-point lead (16-11) off of a three-pointer by Ciara McLee with 13:39 left in the opening frame. The Spartans quickly answered back, stringing together a 12-2 run to claim a 23-18 advantage after a trey from senior Tee'Ara Copney with 9:22 to play until intermission. Upstate continued to battle and took its largest lead of the night off of an old fashion three-point play by Copney, putting the score at 28-20 with 7:38 remaining in the half.

JU wouldn't be outdone though and chipped away at the deficit, regaining the lead at 32-30 off of a three from Britney Holliday. The Spartans answered back with a bucket from junior Valese McAllister, knotting things up at 32-32 with just under three minutes until halftime. Upstate closed out the first period with a 6-2 run with two more buckets from McAllister and one more from Copney, giving the Spartans a 38-34 lead heading to the locker rooms at the break.

The second stanza would prove to be a different song and dance entirely for Upstate as Jacksonville opened the second half with a 25-4 run, gaining a commanding 59-42 lead with 9:25 left in the contest. JU went on to claim the 73-54 win, splitting the season series as the Spartans posted a 72-53 victory over the Dolphins inside the Hodge Center Jan. 26.

On the night, Upstate was led by Copney with 18 points. She also grabbed four rebounds, swiped four steals and handed out two assists. McAllister posted 12 points for the Spartans, going 6-for-8 from the floor in 15 minutes of action. She registered 10 first-half points for Upstate, while Copney tallied 13 in the opening 20 minutes of action. The 12 points from McAllister ties her career-high, which she set at Northern Kentucky Jan. 5.

McAllister and sophomore Shelby Hicks paced the Spartans on the boards, pulling down six rebounds each, while Hicks also recorded seven points and swatted a team-best two blocked shots. Freshman Brittany Starling was second on the team in rebounding, snagging five boards, while senior Tyra Smith collected four rebounds and dished out a team-high six assists.

Jacksonville was led by Queen Alford with a game-high 25 points, while Holliday added 15 points. Briona Brown grabbed a game-best seven rebounds to lead the Dolphins, while Alford had six boards.

On the night, Upstate shot 42.8 percent from the floor and 25.0 percent from long distance. The Spartans were 50.0 percent from the line, going 6-for-12. Jacksonville was 44.8 percent from the floor and 38.9 percent from behind the arc. JU connected on 14-of-27 attempts at the charity stripe to shoot 51.9 percent. The Dolphins won the battle of the boards 40-35.

The Spartans return to action Saturday, March 2, traveling to ETSU for a 1:30 p.m. tip-off to close out regular season play. Follow Upstate women's basketball this season on your mobile device, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.