Box Score (.pdf)

Jacksonville, Ala. – Deion Holmes scored a game-high 18 points and led three Spartans in double-figures as the USC Upstate men's basketball team concluded a season-long eight-game road trip on Saturday afternoon with a 77-61 loss to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks at Pete Mathews Coliseum.

Upstate falls to 3-10 on the season while Jacksonville State improves to 8-3 overall.

A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS

• Holmes connected on 6-of-13 field goals, including 4-for-8 from 3-point range, and scored in double-figures for the eighth time this season to lead all players offensively with 18 points.
• Mike Cunningham came off the bench to finish with five field goals and went 4-for-4 at the free throw line to finish with 16 points and four assists.
• Carson Smith posted a double-digit scoring effort for the second time this season, both coming in the last three games, and contributed 10 points and four rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting.
• Malik Moore and Isaiah Anderson each led the Spartans defensively with five rebounds.
• The Gamecocks had six players score 10 or more points led by Malcolm Drumwright with 13 points and six assists.
• Norbertas Giga and Christian Cunningham both finished with double-doubles.
• Jamall Gregory dished out a game-high eight assists to go with 12 points.
• Upstate finished the game shooting 40.7 percent (22-of-54) from the field and made eight of its 10 free throw attempts for an 80.0 percent clip.
• The Spartans also registered 24 points in the paint, 12 points off turnovers and six second chance points.
• Both teams saw their bench record 18 points apiece.

FIRST HALF BREAKDOWN

• Jacksonville State opened the game scoring eight of the first 10 points and led 8-2 less than three minutes into the contest.
• The Gamecocks would go ahead by 10 points, 15-5, less than three minutes later.
• Upstate managed to cut its deficit down to five points twice over nearly a one-minute stretch capped by a layup from Avery Diggs with 11:27 left that made the score 21-16.
• Jacksonville State led by as many as 11 points twice during the first half with the last coming at 31-20 with 4:47 remaining.
• The Spartans answered with seven straight points from Smith and Cunningham and trailed 31-27 with 2:20 to go after Smith's jumper.
• Moore was successful on a 3-pointer at the 1:22 mark and Upstate was down 33-30 with just over one minute remaining before intermission.
• Drumwright hit a jumper with 58 seconds left and gave the Gamecocks a 35-30 lead at halftime.

SECOND HALF BREAKDOWN

• Jacksonville State began the second half scoring four straight points and went back in front by 11 points, 41-30, at the 17:47 mark.
• The Spartans got as close as seven points twice over the next five minutes beginning at 42-35 with 16:43 left after Holmes was successful on a pair of free throws.
• The Gamecocks would go in front by 13 points, 48-35, with 15:04 remaining.
• Upstate recorded the next six points from Cunningham, Moore and Smith to trim the lead down to 48-41 after Smith's layup with 12:59 to go.
• Jacksonville State followed with five straight points and would lead by double-figures the rest of the way.
• The Spartans would get as close as 13 points at the 6:49 mark when Cunningham made two free throws to make the score 61-48.
• The Gamecocks took their largest lead of the game at 19 points three times over the game's final two minutes. The last came with four seconds remaining on a layup by Jason Burnell.
• Jure Span hit a 3-pointer as time expired to put the final score at 77-61.

UP NEXT

• Upstate returns home for the first time in nearly a month on Monday, Dec. 18 when it hosts Coastal Georgia at 11 a.m.
• The Spartans are holding their Education Day game on Monday morning as they welcome schools from Spartanburg County to the G.B. Hodge Center.

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