Spartanburg, S.C. – Toni Romiti scored a career-high 12 points and was one of four USC Upstate players to score in double-figures as the Spartans defeated the East Tennessee State Buccaneers 69-60 on Homecoming Saturday afternoon from the Hodge Center.

Upstate improves to 12-11 overall and 7-5 in the league, while the Buccaneers fall to 7-16 on the season and 3-9 in conference play.

Brittany Clency poured in a game-high 17 points highlighted by a 6-for-6 day from the free-throw line. Romiti and Alex Stanford each finished with 12 points, and Lauren Bogle contributed 10. Brittany Starling pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds.

Serena Clark and Maria Bond each recorded double-doubles for East Tennessee State. Bond finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds, while Clark added 10 points and 15 rebounds.

The Spartans shot 50.0% (15-of-30) from the field in the second half while their defense limited the Buccaneers to a 28.9% (11-of-38) mark.

Despite shooting 25.0% in the first half, Upstate trailed by just five at halftime as Bogle hit a layup with 2:06 left. East Tennessee State came out to start the second half and pushed its lead to eight, 36-28, with 15:52 to go. The Spartans would cut their deficit to two, 38-36, courtesy of an 8-2 run over a 2:35 span. The Buccaneers answered the Upstate run with five straight points to increase their lead back to seven at the 12:24 mark.

The Spartans managed to tie the game at 48-48 with 7:35 remaining after Stanford hit a layup to cap off a 10-3 run. Upstate stayed within two for the next several minutes until taking its first lead of the game at 53-51 following a three-pointer by Clency with 5:15 left. The teams traded the lead twice until the 2:21 mark when Clark connected on two free-throws to give ETSU a 57-56 lead.

Stanford connected on her next two field-goal attempts to give the Spartans the lead back at 60-57 with 1:21 left in the game. Romiti put the contest out of reach with her three to give Upstate a 63-57 lead two possessions later. The Spartans held the Buccaneers to just one field-goal during the final 2:21 as Clency was successful on four consecutive free-throws and Shelby Hicks two.

Upstate struggled offensively to start the game as East Tennessee State opened with a 10-2 run over the first 2:56 after Chandler Christopher's layup. The Buccaneers led by as many as nine in the first half, 14-5, as Brianna McQueen hit a jumper with 11:41 to go. Valese McAllister trimmed the Spartan deficit to four with her field-goal, but ETSU went back ahead by eight shortly after.

Bogle got Upstate to within three, 18-15, with 5:28 remaining, but that would be as close as the Spartans got the rest of the half. McAllister scored four of the Spartans final six points to head into halftime down five.

Upstate finished the game shooting 37.1% (23-of-62) overall and 71.4% (20-of-28) at the charity stripe. The Buccaneers shot 30.6% (22-of-72) as a team and 57.9% (11-of-19) from the free-throw line.

The Spartans led in points in the paint (30-18), points off turnovers (20-10), fast break points (8-0) and bench points (31-14).

Upstate returns to the court Thursday, Feb. 20 when it travels to Macon, Ga. to face Mercer at 7 p.m.

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