HAMPTON, Va. – USC Upstate women's basketball held on for a 64-59 win at Hampton Saturday afternoon to split the two-game series with the Pirates and snap a seven-game losing skid. The Spartans used a 25-point effort in the third quarter to push through for their first win of the new year, which puts the squad at 4-11 (2-8 BSC) for the season.

After a slow start for both teams, Molly Coleman got Upstate on the board with 6:38 to go in the opening frame. Anda Kuzmina later evened things up with a driving layup before completing the and-1 to give the Spartans their first lead of the game, 9-8 at 3:43. Upstate trailed Hampton 14-12 after the first quarter. Michaela Gibbons knocked down a pair of free throws on two occasions in the second quarter that would give Upstate a one-point lead each time, but Hampton held the 27-23 advantage going into the halftime break.

Denijsha Wilson sparked a dominating third quarter for the Spartans with a layup two minutes into the period, and McKinley Brooks-Sumpter hit back-to-back buckets to tie things up at 29-all with 7:16 to go in the third. Things stayed squared up at 32 for just over two minutes until Wilson ended the drought for Upstate at 4:14 on a layup for a 34-32 lead. Hampton stayed cold on the floor until 2:37, and after that, the Spartans went on a 10-0 run to push their lead to 48-34. Hampton got a bucket back in the last minute and trailed Upstate by 12 points going into the final period.

The Pirates clawed their way back into the game in the fourth quarter and cut their deficit to just four points with 39 seconds remaining in the contest. Upstate hit crucial free throws to stay in control of the lead, but a Hampton jumper made it a one-point game at 60-59 in the final 13 seconds. Jada Logan pushed Upstate's lead back to three on a pair of free throws, and Gibbons snagged a clutch defensive rebound with seven seconds left and knocked down two free throws to seal the victory for the Spartans.

Notes

• Denijsha Wilson once again led the Spartans in scoring with 18 points alongside five rebounds and five assists.
• Molly Coleman put up 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field, and pulled down eight rebounds.
• Michaela Gibbons played a huge role defensively on the day and scored in double-digits with a season-high 12 points. She was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
• Jada Logan hauled in a game-high and career-high 13 rebounds. She also had seven points and five assists.

UP next for the Spartans
The Spartans continue on the road next weekend with a trip to Gardner-Webb. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22 and 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23.

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