Spartans Set to Take Flight Against Ospreys in A-Sun Tournament Showdown
3/6/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katie Parker, kparker@uscupstate.edu
Game Notes | A-Sun Bracket | Tournament Central
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The No. 4 seed USC Upstate women's basketball team is set to take on No. 5 seed North Florida Thursday at 6 p.m. for a national broadcast, airing on ESPN3 in the quarterfinal round of the 2013 General Shale Atlantic Sun Conference Basketball Championship hosted by Mercer University inside Hawkins Arena.
OSPREY OUTLOOK
This will be the 23rd meeting between North Florida and Upstate. UNF holds a 12-10 advantage in the all-time series and a 2-1 mark in games played at neutral sites. However, the Spartans managed to sweep the Ospreys in both contests this season and have won the last five matchups. The last time North Florida defeated Upstate was Jan. 15, 2011, when the Spartans dropped a 91-73 decision in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Spartans earned the No. 4 seed in the A-Sun Championship with an 8-10 record in conference play, while UNF claimed the No. 5 seed with a 7-11 mark in league competition. Upstate is 12-17 overall this season, while North Florida holds an 11-18 record.
Ki Conner leads UNF in scoring, averaging 9.8 points a game, while Raneisha Lamar is second on the squad with 8.5 points a contest and Destinee Smith is third with 8.1. Conner is 20th in the A-Sun in scoring average. Lamar leads the Ospreys on the boards, averaging 7.9 rebounds an outing, while Jadhken Kerr is second on the team, pulling down 6.1 boards per game.
Tee'Ara Copney paces the Spartans with 13.1 points a contest to rank sixth in the league statistics, while Upstate freshman Brittany Starling is 19th in the conference with 10.0 points an outing. Lamar is fourth in the A-Sun in rebounding, while Kerr is 15th. Starling leads Upstate with 6.2 boards a game to rank 14th in the league. Starling tops the A-Sun in field goal percentage with .531, while Lamar is third, shooting .500.
The Ospreys are eighth in the league in scoring offense, averaging 52.1 points per game, while the Spartans are seventh with 59.4 points a contest. Upstate is seventh in the A-Sun with a -6.5 scoring margin, while UNF is fifth with a -6.3 scoring margin. If the contest comes down to a shoot-out, the Spartans have the edge as they are third in the league, shooting 42.1 percent from the floor, while the Ospreys are eighth with a 35.6 field goal percentage. However, North Florida is better on the boards than Upstate this season. UNF is fourth in the A-Sun in rebounding margin with a +0.0 mark, while Upstate is eighth with a -3.1 rebounding margin.
SPARTAN QUICK HITS
• The Spartans are making their second appearance in the A-Sun Championship in just their second year of eligibility. Upstate looks for its first tournament win, after dropping a 72-59 decision to Stetson in the opening round last year.
• Upstate is 2-5 when playing in Mercer's Hawkins Arena with four of those loses coming at the hands of the Bears and one against the Hatters last season in the Spartans' inaugural tournament appearance.
• Tee'Ara Copney and Brittany Starling represented Upstate in the A-Sun postseason honors. Copney was a Second Team All-Conference selection, while Starling was named to the All-Freshmen squad.
• Copney is a four-time A-Sun All-Conference pick. She led the Spartans during her senior campaign, averaging 13.1 points per game to rank sixth in the league in scoring, while pacing the A-Sun at the line this season, shooting 89.2 percent. She leads all active A-Sun players in career points with 1,625 total points. Copney ranks No. 13 all-time in scoring in the league record books and is just 17 points away from moving up to the No. 12 spot.
• Starling has notched four double-doubles during her freshman campaign, all during A-Sun play, while recording 16 double-digit scoring performances with 12 coming in conference games. She has scored double figures in nine of the last 11 games. The center is second on the team, averaging 10.0 points per game to rank 19th in the A-Sun, while leading Upstate on the boards with 6.2 rebounds a contest to rank 14th in the league.
• The All-Conference duo led Upstate with 15 points each as the Spartans erased a 12-point deficit March 2 to defeat ETSU 60-56, marking the program's first win in Johnson City, Tenn.
• The Spartans closed out a four-game homestand Feb. 4, with a 78-62 victory over Lipscomb as head coach Tammy George tabbed her 100th win at Upstate in eight seasons. She became the winningest coach in program history during the 2010-11 season.
• Tyra Smith tied her season-high, handing out eight assists against Kennesaw State Feb. 16 and gave out six assists against LU Feb. 4. Smith is currently fourth in the A-Sun, dishing out 4.0 helpers a contest. She ranks 118th in the nation in assists per game.
• After setting the Upstate career record in steals earlier this season, Copney is second in the A-Sun in steals per game, averaging 2.5 a contest. She ranks 82nd in the NCAA statistics. She tops the Upstate record books, swiping 280 career-steals.
• The Spartans are third in the A-Sun in field goal percentage, shooting 42.1 percent from the floor and ranking 59th in the NCAA stats, while Starling boasts a league-best 53.1 field goal percentage. Upstate is third in the A-Sun, shooting 31.8 percent from long distance. The Spartans are third in the league in defensive rebounds, snagging 25.7 defensive boards per game.
Fans can watch the action as the contest is broadcasted nationally on ESPN3 or follow along on Live Stats. Join in the conversation on Twitter at #UpstateWBB. Follow Upstate women's basketball this season on your mobile device, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
