SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Closing the opening month of the 2021-22 season on its home floor, USC Upstate women's basketball provided several firsts for the Becky Burke era of Spartan basketball in a 102-40 victory over Mars Hill (N.C.) Sunday afternoon at the G.B. Hodge Center.
 
The Spartans' 62-point victory was the largest during Burke's tenure as head coach (2020-pres.) and the largest for the program since defeating Mars Hill 89-31 on November 16, 2019. The game also featured as the first scoring 90 or more points for Upstate since December 8, 2018, in a 101-53 victory over Bob Jones (S.C.).
 
Upstate also posted its highest-scoring first, second, third, and fourth quarters of the season while posting the team's highest-scoring first and second halves of the year. Scoring 54 first-half points Sunday, the total marked the largest scoring half for the Spartan program since dropping 64 in the first half against Bob Jones on Dec. 8, 2018.
 
Leading all scorers with 30 points, junior guard Chellia Watson became the first Spartan since DeNisha Swain in 2019 to score 30 or more points in a game as Watson's career-high scoring total came behind a career-best 14 field goals makes. She led a trio of double-figure scorers Sunday as senior forward Molly Coleman and freshman guard Terah Harness added 18 and 11 points, respectively.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 102; Mars Hill 42
Records: USC Upstate (3-2; 0-0 Big South); Mars Hill (0-7; 0-4 SAC)
Location: G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Quarter

• Opening the game, Upstate put together a 14-0 run to stake a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Molly Coleman went to work in the paint, scoring the first six points of the game. Working off Coleman's strength in the paint, the Spartans worked inside out for the next six points as Terah Harness drained a pair of threes before Rachael Rose hit a driving layup out of the media timeout.
• After Mars Hills' first basket, Rose continued the streak of Spartans' scoring six straight points as she added to her layup at the end the team's 14-0 run with another pair of layups to push the Upstate lead to 18-2.
• Over the final three minutes of the quarter, Upstate closed on an 8-0 run as Chellia Watson and AC Markham scored four points apiece during the run.

Second Quarter

• Continuing its 8-0 run to close the first quarter, Upstate added seven points to open the second quarter, combining to create the Spartans' longest run of the game at 15-0.
• Extending to the first five minutes of the quarter, the Spartans outscored Mars Hill 15-2 during the period. Watson led all scorers over the front half of the second period with six points with Harness and Coleman adding five and four points, respectively.
• Upstate held Mars Hill to just one point over the final three-plus minutes of the first half, scoring 10 points of its own during the stretch with five Spartans scoring in the run.

Third Quarter

• Spanning the half, the Spartans fashioned another 15-0 run, opening the second half by scoring nine straight points. Watson stoked the run with seven straight points to push the streak to 15 points.
• Adding to her 12 points scored in the third quarter, Watson put together another string of consecutive points for Upstate as she scored five straight points out of the period's media timeout.

Fourth Quarter

• After seeing Mars Hill open the quarter with a made free throw, Upstate strung together another double-digit scoring run that spanned three minutes. Coleman and Watson traded baskets in the streak before Jada Logan punctuated the run with a driving layup.
• Upstate finished the game on a 5-0 run with Denijsha Wilson scoring four consecutive points before Sommer Goodman scored her first career points with a made free throw to close the game's scoring.

 
Notable

• Scoring 102 points Sunday, Upstate secured the program's first 90-plus point scoring game since December 12, 2018, against Bob Jones (101). Dropping 54 points in the first half, the Spartans posted the program's highest-scoring half since putting up 64 points against Bob Jones on Dec. 12, 2018.
• Upstate's 62-point margin of victory against Mars Hill marked the program's largest margin of victory in the Becky Burke era (2020-pres.) of Spartan basketball and the most since an 89-31 (+58) victory against the Lions on November 16, 2019.
• With 30 points against Mars Hill, Chellia Watson's career-high scoring total marked the most points for a Spartan since DeNisha Swain scored 33 points versus Winthrop on January 10, 2019.
• Pouring in a season-high 18 points Sunday, Molly Coleman has scored in double-figures in seven straight games dating back to last season, including all five during the 2021-22 campaign. Joining Watson and Coleman in double-figures with 11 points, Terah Harness has scored 10 or more points in four straight games.
• Against Mars Hill, all 11 Spartans that saw the floor scored, including the first career points for Sommer Goodman.
• Forcing 31 turnovers Sunday, Upstate tied a season-high in the category as the Spartans also swiped a season-high 19 steals against Mars Hill.

 
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