Box Score Box Score (.pdf)
Kennesaw, Ga. – Brittany Starling became the 10th player in Atlantic Sun Conference and first USC Upstate player in history to score 1,000 points and pull down 1,000 rebounds as the USC Upstate Spartans defeated Kennesaw State 61-53 on Wednesday night at the KSU Convocation Center.
Upstate improves to 16-8 overall and 7-2 in the Atlantic Sun Conference while Kennesaw State falls to 9-15 and 4-5. The win is Upstate's fifth straight and is the first time the Spartans have accomplished the feat since the 2013-14 season with wins over East Tennessee State, Mercer, Kennesaw State, North Florida and Jacksonviile.
Starling led the Spartans with 13 points and 11 rebounds for her 16th double-double of the season and fifth in a row. Brittany Clency and Kristen Dickerson each scored 11 points. Clency led the Spartans with three assists.
Jasmine McAllister led Kennesaw State with 15 points, followed by Kelly Dulkoski with 13. Allison Johnson led the Owls with nine rebounds. Karly Frye had a game-high five assists.
After Dickerson gave Upstate an early 2-0 lead, Kennesaw State took advantage of three consecutive Spartan turnovers in a 6-0 run. A pair of Starling layups followed by a Clency jumper gave Upstate an 8-6 edge halfway through the opening quarter. After Tamera Thorpe and Clara Young traded three-pointers, Thorpe made a layup to give Upstate a 15-13 lead before a Dulkoski three-pointer gave the hosts a 16-15 edge. A'Lexxus Davis made a layup with 13 seconds left in the frame as Upstate led 17-16 after the opening quarter.
An Aareon Smith layup followed by a pair of free throws gave Kennesaw State a 20-17 edge with 8:31 remaining in the second quarter. Dickerson completed the old-fashioned three-point play to tie the game at 20-20 just under a minute later. Following a Dulkowski jumper that cut the Upstate lead to 24-23, Upstate went on a 7-0 run to lead 31-23 with 2:36 following a Victoria Hadler three-pointer. Upstate led 31-25 at halftime.
Both teams struggled offensively in the third quarter as they went a combined 7-for-35 from the field. Upstate led 35-27 following a Thorpe layup with 5:33 to go. Kennesaw State went on a 6-0 run, pulling within two after an Iceis Walker layup with 2:31 to go. On the next Spartan possession, Dickerson missed a jumper with Starling pulling down her 1,000th rebound before being fouled at the 2:16 mark. Starling sank three free throws to push the Spartan lead back to 38-33 before a long Dulkosi three-pointer slashed the Spartan advantage to 38-36. Travonda Haddock sank a pair of free throws to give Upstate a 40-36 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Upstate opened the final quarter on a 5-0 run to take a 45-36 lead with 9:11 to play. Kennesaw State answered with an 8-0 run fueled by a pair of Smith three-pointers to pull within one, 45-44, with 5:36 to go. With Upstate holding a 47-46 lead, the Spartans forced a KSU turnover before Haddock hit two free throws followed by a Jefferson three-pointer for a 52-46 lead with 2:44 to go. Deandrea Sawyers brought the Owls to within three, 54-51, but the Spartans were able to extend a possession with a pair of offensive rebounds before a Starling layup gave the visitors a 56-51 lead with 54 seconds to play. Clency sank five free throws down the stretch as the Owls got no closer than six points the rest of the way.
Kennesaw State finished 20-for-60 (33.3%) from the field while Upstate was 19-for-62 (30.6). The Spartans were 4-for-9 from behind the three-point line and 19-for-25 at the free throw line. Kennesaw State finished 6-for-20 behind the arc and 7-for-11 at the charity stripe (63.6%). The Spartans held a 47-37 rebounding edge.
Upstate returns to the Hodge Center on Saturday, hosting Stetson while taking part in the Play4Kay initiative. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
Follow Upstate women's basketball on your mobile device, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
