SPARTANBURG, S.C. – For the second straight game, USC Upstate women's basketball secured the second-largest win of the Becky Burke era of Spartan basketball as the Spartans saw four players in double-figures in an 81-40 victory in the team's home opener versus Columbia International.
 
Leading the Upstate contingent in double-figures freshman guard Terah Harness poured in a career-best 17 points and has scored in double-figures in consecutive games. Behind Harness, senior forward Molly Coleman added a season-high 16 points, scoring in double-figures in each of her team's games this season, while freshman guard Rachael Rose added 12 points and freshman forward Takia Davis contributed a career-high 11 points.
 
In addition to her career-best 11 points, Davis also added eight boards—a career-high—against Columbia International, the most corralled by a Spartan in a game this season. Coleman and junior guard Chellia Watson finished just behind Davis on the boards, grabbing seven apiece with Coleman's total marking a season-high and Watson's tying her career-high.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 81, Columbia International 40
Records: USC Upstate (2-1; 0-0 Big South); Columbia International (1-5; 1-2 AAC)
Location: G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Quarter

• Driving to the basket and converting a layup to tie the game at three apiece, Molly Coleman jumpstarted a 6-0 run over a one-minute span to retake a lead the Spartans wouldn't relinquish as Rachael Rose and Terah Harness followed up Coleman's layup with layups of their own to take a 7-3 lead.
• With Columbia International pulling within one, Upstate extended its advantage to double-figures as the Spartans reeled off a 10-0 run bookended by three-pointers from Rose and Harnes. Harness and Chellia Watson filled in the run with a pair of layups on consecutive possessions.
• Taking to the air in the final seconds of the quarter, Rose beat the quarter buzzer with a floater to push the Spartans to a 10-point lead at the quarter break.

Second Quarter

• Opening the scoring in the quarter with a Denijsha Wilson layup, Upstate opened the period on a 6-2 run before the team's aggressive defense forced a Columbia International timeout and the quarter's media break.
• After the Rams came out of the media timeout with a made jumper, the Spartans responded with a massive 17-6 run to close the half. Veterans Jada Logan and Coleman combined to score nine points in the streak with Logan burying a three-ball from the corner off a nifty pass from Dakota McCaughan.

Third Quarter

• After coming out of the trading baskets, Upstate took control over the latter half of the quarter, holding Columbia International to just one point over the final seven-ish minutes of the quarter. The Spartan scored 16 points over the final four minutes, led by six points from Davis.

Fourth Quarter

• Following a Columbia International three to open the quarter, Davis provided the Upstate answer, drawing the and-one opportunity as she took to the offensive glass for the putback and the and-one conversion.
• Scoring seven of her nine points in the game over a three-minute span in the quarter, Watson sparked a 13-2 Spartan run—the team's final run of the game.

 
Notable

• Seeing four players score in double-figures, Friday's game marked the first with four double-figure scorers since February 5, 2021, versus UNC Asheville.
• Leading all scorers against Columbia International, Terah Harness poured in a career-high 17 points as she notched her second straight double-figure scoring game. Also posting a career-high scoring total was Takia Davis who tallied 11 points while pulling in a career-best eight boards.
• Posting a season-high 16 points Friday night, Molly Coleman has scored in double-figures in each of her team's first three games this season and each of her last five games dating back to last season.
• Behind a 41-point margin of victory, Upstate secured its second-largest victory during the Becky Burke era (2020-pres.) as Friday's victory nearly eclipsed the 46-point margin versus St. Andrews in last season's home opener.

 
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