BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – USC Upstate women's basketball held a 20-point lead at halftime and shut down a late push by Gardner-Webb Saturday evening for a 70-68 win in game two of the back-to-back Big South series. Jada Logan notched a career-high 19 points to help the Spartans secure their first DI era victory over the Runnin' Bulldogs and improve to 5-12 (3-9 BSC) this season.

The Spartans got off to a hot start with an 11-0 game-opening run and a lot of pressure on the Bulldogs. Gardner-Webb didn't get on the board until 5:18 in the first quarter and then attempted to close the gap, but a 3-pointer from Anda Kuzmina followed by an and-1 from McKinley Brooks-Sumpter with 33 seconds left in the frame gave Upstate a 19-10 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.

A pair of buckets from Jada Logan at the beginning of the second quarter put the Spartans back up by 11 points, and a Denijsha Wilson triple pushed Upstate's lead to 27-15 with 6:44 to go in the period. The Spartans ended the frame on a 9-0 run while holding the Bulldogs scoreless in the final 2:30 to enter halftime with a commanding 42-22 advantage.

The third period opened up in back-and-forth fashion, and Upstate was still able to hold a comfortable lead until the Bulldogs went on a 7-0 run to cut their deficit to 13. That run was cut off by a bucket from Molly Coleman for a 50-35 Spartan lead with 4:34 left in the third. The two teams traded triples in the last couple of minutes, and Upstate led 56-44 heading into the final frame.

Gardner-Webb would not go down without a fight as the Bulldogs used an 8-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to pull within five points of the Spartans. Michaela Gibbons ended that run with a triple to push Upstate's lead to 63-55 with 4:02 to go in the contest, but five straight points from Gardner-Webb made it a one possession game with 2:47 remaining. The Bulldogs threatened the Spartans by coming within two points three different times in the final 2:47, but each time, Upstate was able to answer and keep the lead, ultimately securing the win.

Notes

• The Spartans never allowed the Bulldogs a lead in the game, and shot 61 percent from the field and outrebounded Gardner-Webb 35-29 in the contest.
• Jada Logan's career-high 19 points paced all scorers in the game. She shot 8-of-9 from the field and was perfect from the charity stripe while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds.
• Denijsha Wilson put up 13 points and a career-high four steals alongside five assists.
• McKinley Brooks-Sumpter rounded out the Spartans in double-figures with 13 points.

UP next for the Spartans
Upstate returns home to the Hodge next weekend for a two-game series against Radford. Game one is set for a 6 p.m. tip on Friday, Jan. 29 followed by a 4 p.m. tip on Saturday, Jan. 30.

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