AUBURN, Ala. – Five Spartans made their debut for USC Upstate women's basketball Wednesday night as the squad opened its 2020-21 slate against Auburn University. Two of those five newcomers scored in double-figures as freshman Dakota McCaughan led the team with 15 points and junior transfer Marnicha Prudent notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Upstate ultimately dropped the contest 82-41 to the Tigers on the Plains.
"I thought we showed glimpses of the team that we are capable of being. We tied [Auburn] 23-23 in the third quarter. We lost by 10 in the second half and played much better when we found our confidence and settled in. We will get in better shape and have a more complete roster as the season goes on and we get some more practices under our belt. I am proud of our effort in the second half and look forward to building off of that," said first-year head coach Becky Burke.
The Spartans got off to a shaky start as they couldn't get anything to fall until Lillian Flantos put Upstate on the board with a jumper from McCaughan in the final minute of the opening frame.
Prudent drew a foul in the paint and knocked down both of her free throws to open Upstate's scoring in the second quarter with her first points as a Spartan. McCaughan would later cap a 10-0 Tiger run with a 3-pointer from deep for her first career points. Another Spartan recorded her first points in an Upstate uniform in the second frame as Gift Sampson hit a jumper in the paint from Molly McCutcheon with just over two minutes left in the period.
Things started to fall a little easier for the Spartans in the third frame as Upstate shot 7-for-15 with a 23-point effort in the quarter. Prudent once again started the period off with a pair of free throws before McCutcheon picked up her first points of the season with a 3-pointer from Anda Kuzmina a minute and a half into the frame. Michaela Gibbons later hit her first bucket of the year at 7:46. McCutcheon then set McCaughan up for her second 3-pointer of the night at 6:20, and the two reversed roles a minute later as McCutcheon hit her second three of the night, this time from McCaughan. The two of them were a combined 5-for-7 from beyond the arc in the third quarter.
Molly Coleman capped the night for the Spartans with her first points in an Upstate jersey, an under-the-basket layup from McCutcheon in the last minute of the final period.
Notes
Upstate – Dakota McCaughan knocked down five 3-pointers in her collegiate debut. This is the first time a Spartan hit five or more 3-pointers since December 19, 2019 when Michaela Gibbons hit five against Bob Jones. Marnicha Prudent was perfect from the charity stripe in her Spartan debut and led the team on the glass with 10 boards. McCaughan and Molly McCutcheon each had five assists on the night, and Anda Kuzmina ended the game with three steals.
Auburn – Unique Thompson and Jala Jordan led the Tigers in scoring on the night with 16 points each. Thompson also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds while Alaina Rice had five assists.
UP next for the Spartans
The Spartans continue on the road when they return to the state of Alabama on Wednesday, Dec. 2 to face the Crimson Tide. Tip-off is set for 7:00pm EST from Tuscaloosa.
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