SPARTANBURG, SC— The USC Upstate men's basketball team fell 82-72 in their home opener against Southern Wesleyan University on Wednesday afternoon at the Eddie and Ann Payne arena inside the G.B. Hodge Center.
 
"We've got to be better defending and rebounding…We've got to be better as a group." USC Upstate coach Stacey Palmore said, "[Will] start watching film and correct what didn't work today."
 
The two teams began the game evenly matched. However, with less than 10 minutes left in the first half, the Warriors took the lead. With a few missed shots and turnovers by the Spartans and three triples in a row by SWU, the Warriors increased their lead to 26-17.
 
After a scoreless three minutes for the Spartans, a layup by Dalvin White ended the Warriors run. The first half ended with the Warriors leading with 39-30.
 
The Spartans worked hard in the second half to cut the Warrior's lead. However, they could never regain the lead.
 
Bryson Mozone (North Augusta, GA) led the Spartans with 17 points. Everette Hammond (Silver Spring, MD) was second on the team in points with 13 points, with Nevin Zink (Newton, Conn.) leading the team in rebounds (6) in the contest. Freshman guard Quentin Hodge (Sumter, S.C.) scored 10 points in his college debut, while Dalvin White (Norcross, Ga.) contributed 10 points and a team high six assists.
 
The leading scorer for the Warriors, Demarcus Addie, finished the game with 21 points. Jalen Lowery added 17 points, Ta'Jay Dunlap contributed 15 points, Hunter Davis scored 12 points, and Arusha Hunter rounded out the double-digit scoring with 10 points off the bench. Solomon Smith had the most rebounds for the Warriors with 9 total.
 
The USC Upstate men's basketball team will take on the Furman Paladins this upcoming Saturday at 2pm in Greenville, SC.
 
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