SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Anda Kuzmina notched her first career double-double Tuesday night as USC Upstate (7-14, 2-10 BSC) defeated Presbyterian College (7-14, 3-9 BSC) 70-60 inside G.B. Hodge Arena. The Spartans shot lights out in the fourth quarter, hitting 63.6 percent from the field while holding Presbyterian to just 11.8 percent in the period. USC Upstate is now 6-0 when scoring at least 70 points in regulation.

The contest got off to a hot start as Riley Popplewell put USC Upstate on the board with a layup from Anda Kuzmina 14 seconds into the game. The Spartans and Blue Hose went back-and-forth and were shooting 55.6 percent and 62.5 percent from the field, respectively, heading into the first media timeout. Popplewell then secured a pair of back-to-back steals, the first setting up Kuzmina for a layup to get back within one point of Presbyterian. Her second steal assisted Brianna Lewis on the go-ahead jumper to take a 13-12 lead with 2:26 left in the opening period. Kathryn Kirkwood pushed USC Upstate's lead to 16-13 before the Spartans closed out the frame with a 16-14 advantage.

Presbyterian got back out in front to open the second quarter, but Lewis answered by sparking an 8-2 run for the Spartans, capping it with a 3-pointer from Kuzmina to take a 24-20 lead with 4:41 remaining in the period. Presbyterian went up 26-24 to force a Spartan timeout at 2:37, but Kuzmina came out of that timeout with a 3-pointer to get USC Upstate back on top. Kuzmina later fed Popplewell for an under-the-basket layup before assisting Kirkwood on a layup for a 31-28 advantage in the final 46 seconds of the quarter. Freshman Shelby Glance knocked down her second 3-pointer of the season to send the Spartans into the locker room on a 7-0 run with a 34-28 lead.

After 20 minutes of play, Lewis was leading USC Upstate with 11 points and four assists while Popplewell had eight points, three rebounds, and two steals.

Lillian Flantos continued USC Upstate's run with a jumper six seconds into the third quarter. After the Spartans gained a 40-33 lead, the Blue Hose chipped away at their deficit to come within one point of USC Upstate on three different occasions. Each time, the Spartans were able to preserve their lead, until however the Blue Hose knocked down a three to tie things up before taking a 49-48 lead to end the third period.

Popplewell hit an and-1 followed by a layup from Kuzmina to open the final frame, putting the Spartans up 53-49. A Kuzmina 3-pointer extended USC Upstate's lead to 58-51 and forced a Presbyterian timeout with 5:17 remaining in the final period. The Spartans continued to pull away in the contest with Barrett Herring's third block of the night followed by a layup with just over two minutes left. Lewis closed the game with USC Upstate's final seven points to secure the 70-60 victory. The Spartans held the Blue Hose scoreless from the field through the first eight minutes of the fourth period.

Notes
Upstate – Kuzmina notched a season-high 12 points and career-high 10 assists in her double-double effort on the night. Popplewell reset her season-high in scoring for the second straight game with 19 points. The senior is now just 100 points away from 1,000 in her career. Brianna Lewis led the Spartans offense with 20 points in the contest. Popplewell and Quadijah Moore each pulled down five boards. As a team, the Spartans shot an even 50 percent from the field in the game.

Presbyterian – The Blue Hose were led by Trinity Johnson's 25 points and Jade Compton's 11 rebounds.

Quotables
Head Coach Tammy George
"I was really proud of our team's guts and performance in the game. It was back and forth and then we lost the lead, but we found a way to win it at the end. We built upon some momentum we got from Saturday's game. I told them we just have to get one, and we got it tonight."

Senior Riley Popplewell
"We've been playing great as team the past couple of games. We've been sharing the ball and everyone has been stepping up. It's exciting coming into the second half of conference play and getting off on the right foot."

UP next for the Spartans
The Spartans close out their home stand on Saturday, February 8, 2020 against High Point at 2:00 p.m.

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)