Upstate Set to Participate this Week in Palmetto State Shootout
11/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's basketball team plays host to the five-team Palmetto State Shootout this week as Bob Jones, The Citadel, Georgia Southern and Toccoa Falls travel to Spartanburg for tournament play.
Upstate kicked off the Palmetto State Shootout last Saturday with an 83-79 loss to Bob Jones. The Spartans return to tournament play Friday evening at 5 p.m. against Georgia Southern before hosting The Citadel at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Upstate concludes the Palmetto State Shootout Monday evening at 7 p.m. against Toccoa Falls.
In the Palmetto State Shootout opener against Bob Jones, the Spartans had four players finish in double-figures led by Marvin Smith's first career double-double with a career-high 18 points and 13 rebounds. Deion Holmes tied Smith with 18 points while Mike Cunningham added 10 off the bench. Playing in his first collegiate game at Upstate, Phillip Whittington contributed 15 points and nine rebounds. Jure Span dished out five assists.
The Spartans began their week Tuesday evening with a 79-78 loss to Winthrop inside the Hodge Center. Holmes and Josh Cuthbertson both set new career-highs in scoring with 20 points each, while Jacob Schulte also recorded a career-best 13 points. Smith collected 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Holmes enters the three-game stretch eighth in the A-Sun in scoring at 14.6 points per game, while Schulte sits fifth in blocks per game with 1.0. Cuthbertson is fifth in assists per game (4.8) and tied for tenth in rebounds per contest (6.0) along with Smith.
Georgia Southern is 1-3 after falling to The Citadel 95-90 Wednesday evening in Spartanburg. The Citadel currently holds a 3-2 record overall and Toccoa Falls enters at 2-5 on the season.
Upstate is facing Georgia Southern and Toccoa Falls for the first time in program history, and trails The Citadel 2-0. The Spartans and The Citadel are meeting for the first time since 1980-81 as the Bulldogs won 75-70 in Charleston. The Citadel also won 99-67 during the 1978-79 season. The two teams are meeting for the first time in Spartanburg.
Fans can follow the action on www.upstatespartans.com via live stats. All three games will be televised on ESPN3. Updates will also be posted on the Upstate men's basketball Twitter page (@UPSTMBB).
The Spartans begin a two-game road trip Wednesday, Dec. 2 against Clemson at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville.
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