Saturday's matchUP
January 25, 2:00 pm

USC Upstate (6-12, 1-8 Big South) VS Presbyterian College (5-12, 1-7 Big South)
Clinton, S.C.

Game Notes

TV: ESPN+ (available online and on the ESPN app)

Series History
This is the eighth all-time meeting between USC Upstate and Presbyterian College in USC Upstate's Division 1 era. Presbyterian has taken the last three matchups against the Spartans, and USC Upstate is looking for its first win against the Blue Hose since 2016. In the most recent meeting between the two teams on February 19, 2019, Kathryn Kirkwood set a new career-high in points (17), rebounds (14), steals (4), field goals made (7), field goals attempted (14) and minutes played (20), but the Spartans fell 66-58 to Presbyterian inside the G.B. Hodge Center. Riley Popplewell was the team's second leading scorer with 13 points and six rebounds, and DeNisha Swain finished with a team-high nine assists. Salina Virola posted a double-double for the Blue Hose with 15 points and 13 rebounds while Shamani Stafford and Trinity Johnson each contributed 15 points to the contest as well.

The Blue Hose swept the season series as they also took the meeting on January 12, 2019 70-54 on home court. Popplewell and Lewis each scored 15 points in the loss while Lewis also led the team with four assists. Gibbons pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. Presbyterian's Virola posted another double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Bria Gibbs added 16 points and Kacie Hall contributed 15 points in the victory for the Blue Hose.

Last time out
UPSTATE – USC Upstate is coming off a tough matchup against Big South preseason favorite Radford on Tuesday. The Spartans, led by Kirkwood's 11 points and Michaela Gibbons' season-high nine rebounds, fell to the Highlanders 57-41. The Spartans were perfect from the charity stripe, and Natalia Panufnik tied a season-high nine points in the contest.

Presbyterian – The Blue Hose have dropped seven of their last eight contests and are most recently coming off a 60-55 loss to High Point Tuesday night. Jade Compton posted a double-double in the loss with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Blue Hose will be looking for their first home win since December 21, 2019.

Ones to watch
UPSTATE – USC Upstate's leading scorer Brianna Lewis returned to the court Tuesday night after missing five games due to injury. She finished the night with six points, five assists, and a rebound. The senior guard ranks 10^th in Big South scoring with 12.9 points per game and second in Big South assists, averaging 5.4 per game.

Presbyterian – Presbyterian's leading scorer is Trinity Johnson with 229 total points. She is averaging a Big South sixth-best 14.3 points per game, and also leads the Blue Hose with 3.1 assists per game. Jade Compton is pulling down a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game.

UP next for the Spartans
The Spartans take a week off before returning to the Hodge for Homecoming on Saturday, February 1, 2020. Tip-off against Campbell is slated for 2:00 p.m.

Tickets
Start at $8.00 (adults), $5.00 (ages 3-17); 864-503-7190 and upstatespartans.com/tickets.

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