Upstate Remains in State for Sunday Afternoon Contest at College of Charleston
11/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's basketball team is slated to play game three of its season-long seven-game road trip Sunday afternoon as it faces the College of Charleston Cougars at 4 p.m. inside TD Arena.
Upstate has won each of its first two games to begin the road trip after staging a second half rally last Tuesday and defeated Charlotte 108-103 in overtime as six Spartans scored in double-figures. The Spartans tallied over 100 points in a road game for the first time since recording 100 at Johnson C. Smith on Jan. 2, 1998. Michael Buchanan picked up his first double-double of the season, and 11th of his career, after leading Upstate with 24 points and 14 rebounds, and was joined in double-figures by Ramel Thompkins (22), Mike Cunningham (18), Deion Holmes (12), Malik Moore (12) and Philip Whittington (11).
Thompkins set a new career-high with 22 points while Holmes grabbed a career-best eight rebounds. The Spartans finished the game shooting a season-high 53.2% (41-of-77) from the field and out-rebounded Charlotte 47-35. Upstate also held a 46-36 advantage in points in the paint, 20-12 in second-chance points, 13-10 in fast-break points and 38-19 in points off the bench.
The Spartans currently have four players averaging in double-digits this season led by Cunningham with 15.8 points per game. Along with Cunningham, Holmes contributes 15.2 points per contest, Thompkins 12.0 and Buchanan 10.8. Buchanan also adds a team-best 9.0 rebounds per contest and Josh Cuthbertson is tied for first in the ASUN in assists per game at 4.8.
College of Charleston currently sits at 3-3 overall after falling at second-ranked, and defending national champion, Villanova 63-47 on Wednesday. The Cougars have earned wins this season over The Citadel, Coastal Carolina and Boise State. College of Charleston is led offensively by Joe Chealey with 14.0 points per game while Jarrell Brantley grabs 8.2 rebounds per contest. The Cougars are under the direction of third-year head coach Earl Grant.
Upstate and College of Charleston are meeting for the 26th time in program history with the Cougars leading the all-time series 18-7. The two teams are facing each other for the first time since the 1988-89 season.
Fans can follow the action on www.upstatespartans.com via live stats. The game is being streamed on www.cofcsports.com. Updates will also be posted on the Upstate men's basketball Twitter page (@UpstateMB).
The Spartans travel to Auburn, Ala. on Tuesday, Nov. 29 for an 8 p.m. EST contest at Auburn.
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