BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Junior Molly Coleman notched her third double-double of the season, second in three games, Friday night in the series opener against Gardner-Webb. The Spartans fell victim to the Runnin' Bulldogs, 62-52, on the road in game one of the two-game Big South series.

Gardner-Webb jumped out to an early lead and the Spartans trailed 12-8 going into the first media timeout, but Upstate reached the bonus early on and was able to take advantage of free throws to stay within reach of the Runnin' Bulldogs. Anda Kuzmina drained her second triple of the game in the closing seconds of the first period to cut Upstate's deficit to 22-19 going into the second quarter.

The Bulldogs were cold on the floor for over five minutes in the second period while McKinley Brooks-Sumpter put the Spartans on a 9-0 run to take a 28-24 lead with 4:38 to go in the frame. Gardner-Webb, however, countered that with a short 7-0 run to regain the lead, and held a 35-32 lead going into halftime.

Upstate's first point of the third quarter didn't come until 4:58, a free throw from a technical foul on Gardner-Webb's Jhessyka Williams, and the Spartans didn't hit a field goal in the frame until Denijsha Wilson made a jumper with 36 seconds left in the period. The Bulldogs pushed their lead to double-digits in the quarter, ending the third frame ahead 48-37.

The and-1 from Gibbons cut Upstate's deficit back down to single digits with 5:28 to go in the fourth, and the Spartans seemed to be making a comeback with a 6-0 run to make it a 52-45 game in favor of the Bulldogs. Back-to-back triples from Gardner-Webb, however, put the Bulldogs ahead by 15 with 2:20 to go. Wilson capped the night with a three in the final 22 seconds of the contest as Gardner-Webb prevailed 62-52.

Notes

• Upstate outrebounded Gardner-Webb 41-35 but was outshot 33 percent to 39 percent from the field.
• Molly Coleman's third double-double of the season consisted of a team-high 14 points and a game-high and career-high 12 rebounds.
• McKinley Brooks-Sumpter narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. She also a four assists and a steal on the night.

UP next for the Spartans
The Spartans will look to bounce back against Gardner-Webb tomorrow at 4 p.m.

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