CLINTON, S.C. – With 4.1 seconds left to go in the game Everette Hammond in-bounded the ball and immediately got the ball back. Hammond dribbled up the court past a pair of defenders and drained a last second three-pointer to give USC Upstate a 77-74 victory over Presbyterian on Thursday night.   
 
"We practiced this set once a week…and Everette [Hammond] made a great read," USC Upstate head basketball coach Dave Dickerson said. "We are one of the youngest teams in college basketball and we are getting better. The guys are believing in themselves and we are getting better everyday."
 
USC Upstate (9-13, 4-5 BSC) won the opening tip-off and Tommy Bruner (Columbia, S.C.) knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key to give the Spartans an early lead. After the Blue Hose missed on their opening possession, Bruner knocked down a mid-range jumper at the other end for a 5-0 Spartan advantage.
 
Presbyterian (8-14, 5-4 BSC) scored their first basket with 17:46 in the half and went on a 7-0 run to take the lead back over the Spartans. Bruner split a pair of defenders and made a layup to tie the game at 7-7 going into the first media timeout of the game. The Spartans began the game an efficient 3-of-4 from the field as Presbyterian shot 29 percent in the opening four minutes of action.
 
Tied at 9-9 with 15:13 to go in the opening period of play the Presbyterian scoreboard went out while Bruner was at the line for the go-ahead free throw. When play resumed Bruner converted to give the Spartans a one point advantage. The two teams battled back-and-forth over the next few minutes of game time, with Presbyterian taking a small lead with 10:05 remaining in the half.
 
A 9-0 run by Presbyterian forced USC Upstate to take a timeout with 6:58 remaining in the period. Khydarius Smith slammed down the ball to end the scoring drought for the Spartans. The slam sparked a run by USC Upstate as they trailed 31-27 with 3:53 remaining in the half.
 
Moments later the Spartans knocked down back-to-back triples to tie the game at 33. Presbyterian countered with a 4-0 run to take a 37-33 lead. Dalvin White nailed a three-pointer near the top of the key to pull the Spartans back within a point. The Blue Hose called their first timeout of the half with 35.9 seconds to go in the period. Presbyterian made a basket coming out of the timeout break and took a 39-36 advantage into the halftime break.
 
Burner led all scorers with 15-points in the opening period. On the other side of the court Cory Hightower led the Blue Hose with 8-points. A trio of other Presbyterian players recorded 6-points in the half. USC Upstate shot 58 percent from the field in the opening half and 46 percent from beyond the arch.
 
In the opening moments of the second half both teams went shot-for-shot with the other. With 15:57 remaining in the contest the Spartans trailed 47-43. Coming out of the timeout break Bruner drained a mid-range jumper to bring the Spartans within a pair of the Blue Hose. The Spartan defense forced another turnover and Hammond was fouled on a layup attempt. The sophomore drained both free throw attempts to tie the game at 47-47.
 
The game remained close over the next several minutes of the game with both teams trading shots. The Spartans defense forced the Blue Hose to turn the ball over going into the under eight media timeout. Coming out of the timeout break the Spartans had possession of the ball trailing 62-61. Hammond cashed in on a three-point shot giving the Spartans a 64-62 lead. Corey Hightower missed on the front end of a one-and-one opportunity and the Spartans took advantage as Bruner made a floating jumper to extend the lead.
 
Nevin Zink broke a 71-71 tie with 2:59 remaining in the contest as he converted on the front end of a free throw attempt. A missed shot by Presbyterian on the other end and a strong box out by Hammond secured the ball for USC Upstate. On the next possession Bruner stepped up and made his 12th jumper of the night to give the Spartans a 74-71 lead.
 
Tied at 74 with 28 seconds to play in the game the Presbyterian played for the final shot. The Spartans held strong as a Zeb Graham layup attempt rattled around the basket and fell into the hands of a USC Upstate defender.
 
The Spartans called a last second play and they executed to perfection as Hammond drained the go-ahead three as time expired. Presbyterian did not make a field goal the final 4:33 of the game.

Notes

Upstate – Bruner ended the night with a career high 28-points to lead all scorers in the game. Hammond scored 16 of his 21-points in the second half as he hauled in a team high seven rebounds in the win. USC Upstate shot 59 percent from and an even 50 percent from beyond the arch.

Presbyterian – Three Blue Hose players ended the contest in double-figures, Cory Hightower (19), Michael Isler (17) and Chris Martin (12).

UP next for the Spartans
USC Upstate will be back at home this Saturday afternoon as they host Campbell University on Homecoming Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. inside the G.B. Hodge Center.

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


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