Upstate Begins Seven-Game Road Trip Saturday at Charleston Southern
11/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's basketball team hits the road for the first of seven straight games Saturday evening as the Spartans travel to Charleston, S.C. for a 5:30 p.m. contest against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers at Buccaneer Field House.
Upstate is facing its second straight opponent from the Big South Conference after falling to UNC Asheville 73-57 on Thursday evening. Deion Holmes scored a season-high 22 points to lead the Spartans offensively after setting a new career-high with eight made field goals while tying his career-best of five made 3-pointers. Holmes was one of three Upstate players to score in double-figures along with Michael Buchanan (12) and Mike Cunningham (11). Buchanan fell just one rebound shy of a double-double after finishing with nine.
The Spartans concluded the game shooting 43.8% (21-of-48) from the field and tied UNC Asheville with 31 rebounds.
Holmes is averaging a team-high 15.7 points per game this season and is one of two players scoring in double-figures along with Cunningham (13.3). Buchanan contributes a team-best 8.7 rebounds per contest and Josh Cuthbertson leads the ASUN in assists per game at 5.3.
Charleston Southern currently sits at 1-1 on the season after defeating Columbia International in its home opener on Tuesday by a score of 90-53. The Buccaneers opened their season on Nov. 12 with an 88-67 road loss at Florida State. Charleston Southern is under the direction of 12th-year head coach Barclay Radebaugh. Christian Keeling leads CSU offensively with 17.5 points per game while Javis Howard averages 7.5 rebounds per contest.
Upstate and Charleston Southern are meeting for the fourth time in program history with the Buccaneers leading the all-time series 3-0. All three of the previous contests have taken place in Charleston. The teams are meeting for the first time since Feb. 9, 1980 when Charleston Southern recorded a 62-59 victory. Each of the three matchups have been decided by 10 points or less.
Fans can follow the action on www.upstatespartans.com via live stats. The game is being streamed on the Big South Network. Updates will also be posted on the Upstate men's basketball Twitter page (@UpstateMB).
The Spartans continue their road trip on Tuesday, November 22 with a 7 p.m. contest at Charlotte.
Follow Upstate men's basketball on your mobile device, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
