Upstate Closes out Non-Conference Play Hosting North Greenville, UMKC
12/29/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
North Greenville Game Notes (.pdf)
Spartanburg, S.C. – Following nine days off for the Holiday break, the USC Upstate men's basketball team closes out the non-conference portion of its schedule over the course of four days hosting the North Greenville Crusaders and UMKC Kangaroos at the G.B. Hodge Center.
The Spartans are slated to play North Greenville on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. before entertaining UMKC at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 2.
Upstate is back in action for the first time since Dec. 20 when it fell on the road at 25th-ranked Creighton. Avery Diggs set a new career-high in scoring after finishing with 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the second half while Malik Moore led the Spartans offensively with 15 points. Upstate held a 12-6 advantage in offensive rebounds and 9-6 in second chance points.
North Greenville currently sits at 3-7 this season with wins over Coker, Piedmont International and Mars Hill. The Crusaders are led by Daniel Burchette with 16.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. North Greenville is under the direction of head coach Chad Lister.
UMKC is 3-11 this year after recording victories against Haskell, Manhattan and UT Martin. The Kangaroos have three players averaging in double-figures led by Xavier Bishop with 13.1 points per game. Broderick Robinson leads UMKC on the defensive side with 5.0 rebounds per game. The Kangaroos are led by fifth-year head coach Kareem Richardson.
The Spartans lead the all-time series over the Crusaders 7-0 and 3-0 against UMKC.
Fans can follow the action on www.upstatespartans.com via live stats. The games are being streamed on WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Updates will also be posted on the Upstate men's basketball Twitter page (@UpstateMB).
The Spartans open ASUN play on Saturday, Jan. 6 traveling to NJIT for a 6 p.m. contest.
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