ASHEVILLE, N.C. – For the second time in as many games, USC Upstate men's basketball went toe-to-toe with its opponent before claiming victory as the Spartans went on the road and claimed a 76-73 victory over rival UNC Asheville Saturday afternoon.
 
Driving to the basket and being cut off with the clock ticking below 10 seconds remaining, senior forward Bryson Mozone didn't let the defensive pressure deter him as he sunk a turnaround jumper from the edge of the lane to put Upstate ahead 73-72 with 3.6 seconds remaining. As Asheville in-bound the ball looking for a last-ditch shot attempt, junior guard Mysta Goodloe stepped in, forcing the turnover and drawing the foul before stepping to the free throw line to ice the 76-73 victory.
 
Mozone, who entered Saturday's second half with just two points broke out over the final 20 minutes as he scored 14 of his 16 points in the half, going 6-of-6 from the floor in the period, including the tough game-winner. He was joined in double-figures by freshman guard Jordan Gainey who dropped a career-best 22 points, posting a career-high scoring total for the third time in four Big South Conference games.
 
Running the Spartan offense throughout the game, senior guard Dalvin White passed out a career-high-tying nine assists, posting his third game in conference play with seven or more assists.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 76; UNC Asheville 73
Records: USC Upstate (6-10; 3-1 Big South); UNC Asheville (10-7; 2-2 Big South)
Location: Kimmel Arena | Asheville, N.C.
 
How It Happened
First Half

• After Asheville opened the game's scoring with a layup, Upstate used an 8-2 scoring run to stake an early 8-4 advantage. Josh Aldrich started the scoring for the Spartans, scoring the team's first five points before Jordan Gainey added a three.
• Following a short 5-0 run from Asheville's Drew Pember to reclaim the Bulldogs lead, the two teams traded went shot-for-shot with one another over a two-minute span with Upstate leading 18-17 with 14 minutes to play in the half.
• The final shot in the two-minute blow-for-blow span, a three from Gainey, ignited a 9-0 Spartan scoring run, the longest of the game for Upstate. After an Asheville dunk snapped the run, the Spartans proceeded to tack on five straight points, pushing the team's lead to 10 (29-19) with eight minutes to play in the half.
• Following Upstate's 14-2 scoring stretch, Asheville began chipping away at the Spartan lead over the final six minutes of the half, outscoring Upstate 14-6. The Bulldogs scored the final four points of the half, cutting the Spartans' lead to two heading into the locker room.

 
Second Half

• Opening the second half with a three-pointer, Goodloe pushed Upstate's advantage back to five to begin the second half. The shot, however, started a string of traded shots by both teams with neither team making consecutive baskets over the first three-plus minutes of the half before Asheville made back-to-back layups to tie the game at 44.
• With the game tied at 48, Upstate manufactured the first five-point or better scoring run of the second half with Jalen Breazeale driving to the hole for two before dishing it out to Gainey for a three-ball to extend the Spartans' lead again to five.
• Withstanding stretches of three and four-point runs from Asheville, the Spartans used another 5-0 scoring run, spanning the under-eight media timeout to put Upstate back on top by five. Gainey sparked the stretch with another made three before Ahmir Langlais knifed to the basket for two.
• Pulling ahead for the first time in the second half, Asheville used its own 5-0 run to take the lead at 63-62, setting up a run of trading the lead over the final four-and-a-half minutes of the game.
• Trailing 73-72 with 15 seconds remaining, Upstate inbounded the ball before heading the length of the floor to set up Mozone for game-winner in the final seconds. Being cut off as he drove the lane, he offered a turn-around jumper that fell in to put the Spartans up with 3.6 seconds to play.
• On the ensuing in-bounds play, Goodloe stepped in to steal the Asheville heave, drawing a foul to step to the line for two free throws with one second on the clock. He buried both attempts to give Upstate a 76-73 victory.

 
Notable

• Scoring a team-high 22 points against UNC Asheville, Jordan Gainey dropped a career-high point total for the third time in four Big South Conference games. His 22 points also mark the most scored by a Spartan in a single game this season.
• Scoring 16 points, including 14 in the game's second half, Saturday's UNC Asheville game was the third game in Big South play to see Bryson Mozone score 15 or more points. Over his last six games, he's posted five of his nine 15-plus point games.
• Passing out a game-high nine assists versus UNC Asheville, Dalvin White tied his career-high for assists, doing so for the in his last three games. During Big South play, he's passed out seven or more assists in each of the last three games.

 
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