Box Score (.pdf)

Newark, N.J. – Michael Buchanan's tip-in with 0.4 seconds remaining gave the USC Upstate men's basketball team a thrilling 80-78 victory to open conference play against the NJIT Highlanders Saturday afternoon inside the Fleisher Athletic Center.

Upstate has now won a season-best four straight games, and improves to 7-11 overall and 1-0 in the A-Sun. NJIT drops to 9-8 on the season and 0-1 in conference play.

Buchanan finished with a season-high 20 points for the Spartans and was one of four players to score in double-digits for the fourth straight contest. Malik Moore fell one point shy of tying his career-high after finishing with 15, while Mike Cunningham added 11 and Deion Holmes 10. Buchanan and Moore both had a game-high seven rebounds, and Jure Span dished out six assists.

Damon Lynn had 22 points for NJIT to lead all players, and Ky Howard and Tim Coleman each compiled 19. Coleman pulled down six rebounds and Howard had seven assists.

Upstate trailed 8-5 early in the first half when Lynn connected on a three for the Highlanders less than three minutes into the contest. The Spartans answered with a 12-5 run to go in front 17-13 at the 13:41 mark on a free throw by Jacob Schulte to cap a three-point play. Howard would respond with a three two possessions later to make the score 17-16.

Moore scored the next six points for Upstate as his three free throws with 11:45 remaining gave it a 23-16 lead. The Spartans went ahead by double-digits for the first time at the 8:47 mark when Span's three gave them a 31-21 advantage. Cunningham provided Upstate its largest lead of the half at 35-24 with 5:52 to go following his jumper.

NJIT would get as close as four the rest of the half when a three-pointer by Chris Jenkins with 3:12 remaining put the score at 35-31. The Spartans finished the half on an 11-2 run to head into intermission leading 46-33. Marvin Smith sent Upstate into halftime leading by 13 after his jumper with 41 seconds left.

The Spartans stretched their lead out to a game-high 17 points to start the second half when Buchanan's jumper less than a minute in made it 50-33. Buchanan's layup at the 10:24 mark maintained Upstate's double-digit lead at 64-53.

The Highlanders used a 12-5 run over the next five minutes to trim the Spartan lead to 69-65 on a pair of free throws by Lynn. NJIT would then take its first lead, 71-69, since the 15:15 mark of the first half when Coleman connected on a triple with just over three minutes left. Span answered the following possession with a long-range three to put Upstate back in front 72-71.

With the score tied 75-75 with 38 seconds remaining, Cunningham gave the Spartans a three-point lead with his three, only to see Lynn's triple tie the score again at 78-78. Upstate had the ball last with a chance for the game-winning basket. Josh Cuthbertson's three missed with four seconds left, but Buchanan fought his way through several defenders to put the tip-in back as the clock hit 0.4. Howard would then turn the ball over to seal the road victory.

The win by the Spartans was their first to begin conference play on the road since Jan. 5, 2013 when they defeated Northern Kentucky 60-54 in Highland Heights, Ky.

Upstate finished the game shooting at least 50.0% for the third time in the last four contests. The Spartans were 31-for-60 (51.7%) and went 8-of-18 (44.4%) from three. The Highlanders had a 44.6% (25-of-56) mark overall and 39.4% (13-of-33) behind the three-point line.

Upstate held a 36-20 advantage in the paint, 17-12 in second-chance points and 27-14 in points from the bench.

The Spartans continue their three-game road trip to open conference play Thursday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. against Stetson.

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