Box Score (.pdf)

Richmond, Ky. – Malik Moore scored a career-high 32 points on Wednesday evening as the USC Upstate men's basketball team made a late charge in the second half but fell 79-77 to the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in non-conference play at McBrayer Arena.

USC Upstate falls to 2-7 overall while Eastern Kentucky improves to 5-4 on the season.

A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS

• Moore led all players offensively with 32 points on a career-best 12-of-16 shooting, including 4-for-7 behind the 3-point line, and posted his second straight double-double with 10 rebounds.
• Nevin Zink contributed 10 points and eight rebounds after going 4-of-8 from the field.
• Jure Span dished out a game-high seven assists.
• Josh Aldrich finished with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting and recorded two blocks.
• Nick Mayo scored a team-high 14 points for the Colonels.
• Dujuanta Weaver and Lachlan Anderson both had 12 points.
• JacQuess Hobbs grabbed a team-leading eight rebounds.
• The Spartans concluded the game shooting 43.9 percent (29-of-66) from the field and held a 48-42 advantage in rebounds.
• USC Upstate also led 44-34 in points in the paint.
• The game featured three lead changes.

FIRST HALF BREAKDOWN

• Eastern Kentucky scored eight of the game's first 10 points over the opening 2:09 and held an 8-2 lead.
• The Spartans kept the Colonels scoreless for the next 2:24 and cut their deficit down to 8-7 at the 15:27 mark on a 3-pointer by Moore.
• Aldrich kept USC Upstate down one at 10-9 with 13:58 remaining with his layup.
• Dalvin White followed with a 3-pointer at the 13:21 mark and gave the Spartans a 12-10 lead.
• Eastern Kentucky answered with seven consecutive points and took a 17-12 lead with 12:05 to go.
• The Colonels would outscore USC Upstate 12-6 over the next six minutes and went ahead by 11 points, 29-18, with 6:27 left.
• Hobbs kept Eastern Kentucky ahead by 11 at 31-20 with 4:28 remaining after his layup.
• Zink followed with six straight points and made the score 31-26 with 2:32 left.
• The Colonels scored the final five points of the half and led 36-26 at halftime.

SECOND HALF BREAKDOWN

• The Spartans began the second half on a 7-2 run and trailed 38-33 with 17:54 remaining on Moore's jumper.
• Eastern Kentucky would go back in front by double-digits, 46-35, at the 16:08 mark after Anderson made two free throws.
• After Ross Ryan put the score at 46-39 with his jumper, the Colonels would score seven consecutive points to lead 53-39 with 13:49 left.
• Eastern Kentucky tied its largest lead of the game, 14 points, at the 10:59 mark with the score at 61-47.
• Brandon Martin completed a run of six straight points for USC Upstate with 7:39 to go when his jumper made the score 64-58.
• The Colonels would go ahead by 10 points twice with the last coming at 72-62 with 5:24 remaining.
• Moore and Pat Welch responded with back-to-back 3-pointers and cut the Spartans deficit to 72-68 at the 4:30 mark.
• Moore's layup with 2:51 left got USC Upstate within two points at 76-74.
• A free throw by Mayo with 2:09 remaining gave Eastern Kentucky a 79-74 advantage.
• Everette Hammond scored the game's final three points over the last 1:46.
• Hammond's free throw with 38 seconds remaining made the final score 79-77.

UP NEXT

• The Spartans return to Eddie and Ann Payne Arena in the G.B. Hodge Center on Saturday afternoon to host the 25^th-ranked Furman Paladins at 4:30 p.m.

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