Box Score
Box Score (.pdf)
Spartanburg, S.C. – Travonda Haddock scored 15 points to lead the USC Upstate women's basketball team to a 73-58 victory over Stetson in the Hodge Center on Saturday. The Spartans earned a sweep of the season series for the first time since the 2008-09 season thanks to a 61-56 win in DeLand, Fla. on Jan. 18.
Upstate improves to 17-8 overall and 8-2 in the Atlantic Sun while Stetson drops to 15-9 and 6-4. The 17 victories are tied for the second-most in the Division I era with the mark being reached in the 2010-11 and 2013-14 seasons. Stetson falls to 15-9 and 6-4.
Haddock finished in double figures for the 12th time this season as she finished 7-for-12 from the floor. Kristen Dickerson and Raven Jefferson each scored 14 points. A'Lexxus Davis pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds to lead the Spartans. Brittany Clency tied a season-high with seven assists.
Sarah Sagerer led the Hatters with 16 points and 16 rebounds, followed by McKenna Beach with 12 points. Brianti Saunders scored four points, the first time this season she hadn't finished in double figures.
The Spartans began the game on a 10-4 run beginning with a Dickerson jumper at the 9:26 mark of the first quarter. After Sagerer made a layup to bring Stetson within four, 10-6, Upstate went on an 8-0 run capped by a Dickerson three-pointer for an 18-6 lead. Upstate led 20-11 after the first quarter.
Upstate extended its lead to 26-11 following a pair of Jefferson free throws at the 8:19 mark of the second quarter. Sagerer brought the visitors to within 13, 30-17, before the Spartans used a 10-2 run to claim a 40-19 advantage thanks to a Victoria Hadler three-pointer with seven seconds left in the half. Aisha Turner beat the buzzer with a three-pointer to make the halftime score 40-22 in favor of the hosts.
Stetson trimmed the Spartan lead to 42-28 following a DeAsia Beal jumper with 7:09 to go in the third quarter. The Upstate lead fluctuated between 15 and 19 points until a Tamera Thorpe jumper followed by Dickerson completing the three-point play pushed the Spartan lead to a game-high 23 points, 56-33, with 56 seconds remaining in the period. Beach hit a three-pointer followed by a Jefferson jumper to give Upstate a 58-36 advantage heading into the final quarter.
Sagerer sank a three-pointer with 8:09 remaining to bring the visitors with 16, 58-42. Upstate pushed its lead back over the 20-point mark on a Thorpe layup that gave the Spartans a 63-42 lead with 5:47 remaining. Stetson would pull to within 15, 70-55, on a Sagerer layup at the 2:40 mark but would get no closer as a Davis free throw with 32 seconds left served as the game's final points.
Upstate was 28-for-66 (42.4%) from the field while Stetson was 21-for-63 (33.3%). The Spartans held a 51-45 rebounding edge.
The Spartans welcome Florida Gulf Coast to the Hodge Center on Monday night at 7 p.m.
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