SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Limiting its opponent to 38 points Saturday afternoon, USC Upstate men's basketball posted its fewest points allowed since Feb. 2015 as the Spartans claimed a 78-38 victory over Converse at the Hodge.
 
Scoring in double-figures for the eighth time this season, the fifth time scoring 15 or more points, senior forward Bryson Mozone poured in a game-high 17 points to lead the Spartans against Converse. Finishing just behind Mozone on the box score, junior forward Khydarius Smith added a career-high 15 points as he finished 7-of-9 (77.8 percent) from the field Saturday afternoon.
 
Of the 12 Spartans that saw the floor Saturday against the Valkyries, all 12 scored in the game with Smith and redshirt sophomore guard Dave Dickerson III scoring career-highs, Smith scoring 15 points, and Dickerson tallying his first two points of the season.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 78; Converse 38
Records: USC Upstate (3-8; 0-0 Big South); Converse (4-6; 3-4 Conference Carolinas)
Location: G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Half

• After neither team was able to lift the lid on the basket over the game's first four minutes, Upstate began the scoring as Jalen Breazeale hit to begin a 6-0 scoring run, seeing Bryson Mozone and Nick Alves add to the streak.
• Following a made Converse jumper, the Spartans put together a 5-0 scoring stretch, capped by Mysta Goodloe finding Khydarius Smith on the block for a slam.
• Trading baskets over a six-minute stretch of the half, Upstate stymied Converse's offense, not allowing the Valkyries to hit consecutive field goals or create a scoring run in the period.
• Upstate ended the half with an 8-0 scoring run as a pair of Mozone threes sandwiched a Dalvin White layup to give the Spartans a 13-point advantage into the locker room.

Second Half

• Out of the locker room, Upstate scored the half's first 11 points to create the Spartans' longest scoring run of the season, extending the first-half closing run to 19 points. The run is the longest single scoring run by Upstate or an opponent this season.
• Answering after Converse snapped the Spartans' 19-point run with a three-pointer, Upstate answered with six straight points with White nailing a three-pointer and Alves converting an and-one opportunity.
• Spanning nearly three minutes, Smith scored nine straight points for the Spartans, outscoring Converse 9-5 in the span as he finished his nine-point stretch with a fastbreak dunk from an assist from Goodloe.
• Out of the under-eight media timeout, Upstate added a pair of long scoring runs, posting eight and seven-point runs with Mozone tallying nine points across the two runs.

 
Notable

• Allowing 38 points Saturday against Converse, Upstate allowed the fewest points for the program since allowing 39 points versus St. Andrews on February 3, 2015.
• Seeing 12 Spartans score, Saturday's game marked the second time this season seeing each player to hit the floor score in the same game, joining the game versus North Carolina Central. The 12 players scoring also mark the second most Upstate scorers in a game this season.
• Scoring 15 points Saturday, Khydarius Smith posted a career-high scoring performance with his first double-figure scoring game of the season. Overall, he finished 7-of-9 from the field with four rebounds against Converse.

 
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