ASHEVILLE, N.C. – USC Upstate fell to UNC Asheville, 53-45, Saturday afternoon on the road. The Spartans outshot the Bulldogs and Brianna Lewis and Kathryn Kirkwood both scored in double figures, but it wasn't enough to finish the job.

UNC Asheville opened the game on a 7-0 run, but once Jada Logan got Upstate on the board midway through the opening frame, the Spartans used a 9-3 run to get back within one point of the Bulldogs at 10-9 to end the first quarter.

Michaela Gibbons tied things up at 12-all in the first minute of the second period, and her fast break 3-pointer with 5:35 remaining in the quarter gave the Spartans their first lead of the game. Upstate's third trey of the period came a couple minutes later from Logan to extend the lead to 22-16, and the Spartans entered the halftime break up 26-23. Lewis led Upstate with 11 points in the first half while Gibbons and Barrett Herring pulled down five boards and Gibbons had a pair of blocks.

UNC Ashville came out of the half with six straight points to retake the lead in the first three minutes of the third quarter, but Upstate would trade buckets with them to continue staying within a point of the Bulldogs and enter the final frame down 37-36.

The Bulldogs would open the fourth quarter with a 12-0 run that the Spartans ultimately could not recover from. Herring hit an and-1 with a minute and a half left in regulation and Lewis hit a layup in the final second, but Upstate fell 53-45.
 
Notes
Upstate – Lewis posted a team-high 15 points and Kirkwood led the bench with 12 in the loss. Lewis also had eight assists while Gibbons posted three blocks as she and Herring each finished with six rebounds.

UNC Asheville – Nadiria Evans led the Bulldogs with her sixth game this season with 21 points in the victory. Brooke Jordan-Brown corralled 20 rebounds and scored 11 points for a double-double.

UP next for the Spartans
The Spartans continue on the road next week and will face Radford on Tuesday for a 6:00 p.m. tipoff.

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

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