Spartans Falter in Big South Opener

Saturday, December 12

Spartanburg, S.C.

4:00 p.m.

University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics

0-5,0-1Big Sout

Winthrop University

3-0,1-0Big Sout

Team	1	2	F
Winthrop	57	38	95
USC Upstate	34	43	77

12/12/2020 7:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Aaliyah Jones, athletic communications assistant

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – USC Upstate lost 95-77 in their first Big South conference match-up against the defending Big South champions, Winthrop University.

The Big South conference men's basketball preseason pick, the Eagles, started the game in fast-paced fashion. The Eagles quickly took the lead and kept it due to second-chance points and defensive rebounds. The Spartans went scoreless for five minutes in the first half, while the Eagles ran their lead up by 12 points.

Winthrop (3-0, 1-0 Big South) quickly subbed out their five starters in the first two minutes of the contest which explains the Eagles' bench contributing 18 points in the first half. Eagles shared the ball well resulting in their 14 assists to the Spartans' 4 in the first half. Despite the Spartans and Eagles having nearly matched in turnovers the first half, the Eagles managed to score 12 points off turnovers.

Freshman, Quentin Hodges' (Sumter, S.C.) "and-one" layup with 2:41 left in the first half sparked the momentum for the Spartans. Dalvin White (Norcross, Ga.) hit a triple in the very next possession. However, there just was not enough time in the first half to close the gap. The first half ended with the Eagles up 57-34.

The Spartans came out ready to play in the second half with Khydarius Smith (Fort Mill, S.C.) dunking in the first minute of the half. The Eagles did not score for the first 2:30 of the half, while the Spartans scored 8 points. The Spartans worked to cut the lead with free throws and Bryson Mozone's (North Augusta, S.C.) back-to-back triples.

Despite the Spartans' shooting percentage of 50% in the second half, for every Spartans' make, the Eagles seemed to return with one of their own. The Eagles continued to capitalize off second chance points and points off turnovers in the second half resulting in their first Big South conference win.

"Those guys [Winthrop] were chosen preseason pick in our region for a very good reason. We kind of threw the first half away. [Winthrop] crushed us on the offensive boards. Those field-goals [by Winthrop] came in the paint, off turnovers and second chance points. Those are correctable. We'll see if the team is up for the challenge." USC Upstate coach, Stacey Palmore said, "We play them again in 22 hours. The biggest thing [for us] is rest and recovery. They'll spend a significant amount of time now with the trainers. It's like this for everybody. It's the new way of coaching and playing."

Everette Hammond (Silver Spring, MD) was the leading scorer for the Spartans with 18 points. Hammond scored 16 of those points in the second half, 12 of them being triples. Tommy Bruner (Columbia, SC) contributed 14 points. Bryson Mozone (North Augusta, SC) finished the contest with 12 points. Josh Aldrich (Wilmington, NC) was the leading rebounder (7). Spartan walk-on, Thomas
Sheida (Bundaberg, Australia), worked hard in his three minutes of play contributing a career high three assists.
The Eagles' leading scorer was Josh Corbin who finished with 17. Adonis Arms had 13 points. Chandler Vaudrin and Charles Falden both contributed 12. Kelton Talford had 10 points. Adonis Arms and Kelton Talford tied as lead rebounders with 8 total.

UP next for the Spartans
The Spartans are back at home tomorrow afternoon against the Winthrop Eagles, tip-off is slated for a 2 p.m.

Upstate WarmUP
Join us for an all new preview of USC Upstate basketball! The "Upstate Warmup" airs one hour prior to tip-off of home men's and women's basketball games on Facebook (/USCUpstateAthletics) and youtube.com/upstatespartans and includes coaches interviews, student-athlete spotlights, a look around the Big South and more!

TV: ESPN+ (Online and the ESPN app), WYCW (Regionally)
PxP: Pete Yanity
Color: Richmond Weaver

Attendance Information
Single game tickets are not available for sale to the general public. Due to limited seating capacity in accordance with social distancing guidelines, tickets for this season are reserved for season ticket holders, player families and USC Upstate students. For more information, click here.

JOIN UP
Make a difference in the lives of USC Upstate student-athletes! Donate to the USC Upstate U Club today!

Keep UP with the Spartans
Facebook (UpstateAthletics)
Twitter (@UpstateMB)
Instagram (@upstatespartans)
YouTube (USCUpstateAthletics)

#SpartanArmy -> #JoinUp