Box Score (.pdf)

Spartanburg, S.C. – Deion Holmes scored a season-high 25 points, and Malik Moore added his second double-double of the year, as the USC Upstate men's basketball team returned home for the first time in nearly a month on Monday morning and defeated the Coastal Georgia Mariners 83-75 on Education Day at the G.B. Hodge Center.

Upstate improves to 4-10 overall while Coastal Georgia is 8-5 on the season.

A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS

• Holmes recorded the 40^th game of his career scoring in double-figures, and 13^th with at least 20 points, as the junior led the Spartans offensively with 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting including a 6-for-7 mark at the free throw line.
• Moore collected his second double-double of the season, and career, after registering 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. The junior also set a new career-high with six assists to go with three steals.
• Holmes and Moore were two of four Upstate players to score 10 or more points as Ramel Thompkins added 13 and Jure Span 12.
• Both Thompkins and Span concluded the game shooting 5-of-8 from the field while Span dished out six assists and Thompkins added three steals.
• Haylen Washington led all players with a game-high 26 points for the Mariners on 9-of-19 shooting and went 6-for-8 at the charity stripe.
• Jayden Smallwood contributed 12 points and Jonathan Canada dished out 11 assists.
• Brandon Martin posted nine points and nine rebounds.
• The Spartans finished the game shooting a season-best 55.8 percent (29-of-52) from the field and 43.5 percent (10-of-23) behind the 3-point line.
• Upstate held a 34-30 advantage in points in the paint, 21-13 in points off turnovers, 8-4 in fast break points and 29-28 in bench points.

FIRST HALF BREAKDOWN

• The Spartans opened the game on a 12-5 run over the first five minutes and led by seven points with 15:33 remaining on a layup by Thompkins.
• Thompkins would later connect on a 3-pointer at the 13:19 mark to keep Upstate's lead at 17-12.
• Coastal Georgia came back with a 9-3 run over the next 3:32 and went in front 21-20 on a jumper by Hayden Goins.
• Following a layup from Moore, Lee Green answered with a jumper to keep the Mariners ahead by one at 23-22 with 8:27 left.
• With the scored tied at 25-25, the Spartans recorded the next 10 points, including six by Pat Welch, to take a 35-25 lead with 4:35 remaining on a layup by Span.
• The Mariners got as close as six points twice over the final three minutes with the last coming at 40-34 with 50 seconds left.
• Holmes scored four straight points to give Upstate a 44-34 lead with just over 10 seconds left before intermission.
• Elijah Wade connected on a 3-pointer as time expired to make the score 44-37 in favor of the Spartans at halftime.

SECOND HALF BREAKDOWN

• Coastal Georgia began the second half by cutting Upstate's lead down to five points, 46-41, less than three minutes into the period.
• The Spartans followed with a quick 7-3 run and led 53-44 on a triple by Span.
• The scoring margin stayed between six to eight points over the next three minutes before Martin's 3-pointer got the Mariners to within three, 57-54, at the 12:35 mark.
• Upstate outscored Coastal Georgia 10-2 over nearly a five-minute stretch and went in front 67-56 with 7:59 remaining on a layup from Holmes.
• Carson Smith kept the Spartans advantage at 11 points, 69-58, two possessions later with his layup.
• Upstate took its largest lead of the game at 74-62 with 4:29 to go on a 3-pointer by Holmes.
• The Mariners made it a one possession game just over three minutes later when Martin's triple cut the Spartans lead to 76-73 with 1:27 left to cap an 11-2 run.
• Upstate picked up the next five points from Holmes and Mike Cunningham to go ahead 81-73 with 37 seconds left.
• The Spartans finished the game on a 7-2 run with Cunningham securing the 83-75 victory after two free throws with 17 seconds to go.

UP NEXT

• Upstate plays its final non-conference road game of the season on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 9 p.m. EST against Creighton.

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