BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The USC Upstate women's basketball team had their first setback in the month of December with a 50-38 loss to Campbell on Tuesday afternoon inside Gore Arena.

USC Upstate and Campbell battled it out in the opening moments of the first quarter. The Spartans clawed their way to a 6-4 advantage early but watched it slip away as the Camels went on a 7-0 run. USC Upstate stayed kept battling and trailed 18-10 going into the second period of play. The Spartans front court was very uncharacteristic of themselves in the opening quarter as they combined to commit five fouls.
 
In the second quarter both teams struggled to put the ball in the basket, as nearly four minutes of game time rattled off the clock before Campbell's Taya Bolden converted a layup attempt. Trailing 27-12 Kathryn Kirkwood went 2-of-3 from the field to give the Spartans a little bit of momentum heading into the halftime break.  
 
Three minutes of game time ticked off the clock before Lauren McNamara-Clement made a layup attempt to give Campbell a 29-16 advantage with 7:07 remaining in the period. Michaela Gibbons drilled a three-pointer with 5:21 left in the quarter to give USC Upstate their first points of the quarter. Each team made a pair of free throws late in the quarter but a McNamara-Clement layup with nine seconds to go in the period was the final shot from the field. USC Upstate trailed 33-21 going into the final stanza of action.  
 
Maya Timberlake's layup with 5:31 to go in the game ended a 7-0 Campbell run. Barrett Herring converted on a layup attempt with 4:56 left in the game and cut the deficit to 41-27. With 4:30 left to play in the game both offenses awoke but Campbell held on for a 50-38 win.

Notes

Upstate – Kathryn Kirkwood was an efficient 4-of-7 from the field and ended with a team high 10-points. Michaela Gibbons recorded a team high 6-rebounds and Brianna Lewis had 6-assists in the loss.  

Campbell – Taya Bolden ended with a 12-point and 12-rebound effort, while Ashlyn Hampton contributed 11-points from the field.

UP next for the Spartans
USC Upstate will travel to High Point this Saturday, January 4. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m.  
 
The Spartans next home game will be on Monday, January 6 against UNC Asheville. The game is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. start time.  

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