SPARTANBURG, S.C. – USC Upstate women's basketball extended its win streak to three games Saturday afternoon with a 72-64 victory over Charleston Southern in the first round of the Hercules Tires Big South Championship. With the win, the Spartans advance to the tournament quarterfinals and will face the top-seeded High Point Panthers on Monday.
Upstate has now won back-to-back first round games in the Big South Championship after defeating Winthrop last season and becoming the first-ever 10-seed to advance to the quarterfinals.
"Overall I thought we played really well offensively and defensively and executed on both ends of the floor. Whether you win by one or 100 in the postseason, you get to move on, so we're really happy about that," said head coach Becky Burke.
Freshman Dakota McCaughan went off for a career-high 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. She played all 40 minutes of the contest and tied her career-high of five assists.
Denijsha Wilson paced all scorers in the game with 21 points and tied a career-high seven rebounds. She also had three steals in the contest.
Despite getting into some early foul trouble, Molly Coleman contributed 17 points, and Jada Logan pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds alongside six assists.
Micahela Gibbons wasted no time getting Upstate out to a 3-0 lead with a trey 26 seconds into the game. Wilson pushed Upstate's lead to 8-4 with another 3-pointer at 6:29, but the Buccaneers would counter that with a 9-0 run and CSU help a 16-11 lead after the first 10 minutes.
Upstate came out strong in the second quarter with two straight baskets to cut its deficit to 16-15 before retaking the lead on a McCaughan 3-pointer with 6:31 to go in the period. Another three from McCaughan in the final minute of the frame put Upstate ahead 30-25, and the Spartans held a 30-26 lead going into halftime.
Three of McCaughan's six total 3-pointers in the game came in the third period to help the Spartans to an 18-point lead at 56-38 heading into the final frame. CSU would make a push in the fourth, cutting its deficit to just six points twice in the final 1:13 of the game, but the Spartans were able to survive and advance.
UP next for the Spartans
The Spartans will travel to High Point Monday night to face the top-seeded Panthers in the Hercules Tires Big South Championship Quarterfinals. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
Spartans Win Today, You Save Tomorrow!
Save 50% off online orders at Papa John's locations across the Upstate. Use the code USCUP50 when placing online orders the day after Upstate victories. Also tomorrow, visit The Beacon Drive-In located in Spartanburg and show the win graphic posted to the @UpstateSpartans Instagram account to claim a free sweet tea as part of the "Sweet Taste of Victory" promotion. No purchase necessary.
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