COLUMBIA, S.C. – Back in the state of South Carolina following the team's longest road trip of the season and the Thanksgiving holiday, USC Upstate men's basketball battled the Gamecocks of South Carolina, taking the lead at the half before seeing its hosts pull away in the second half Friday.
 
Leading to a 31-28 lead at the half, the Spartans owned the edge on the glass, outrebounding the Gamecocks 16-15 while keeping the offensive boards even at four apiece. At the half, things flipped as South Carolina outperformed Upstate on the boards 19 to 12, including a nine to six advantage on the offensive glass to build a lead that resulted in a 68-53 result in the favor of the hosts.
 
For the second time in the past three games, redshirt junior forward Ahmir Langlais led Upstate in scoring, posting 14 points Friday. He was efficient with his shot selection, shooting 7-of-9 (77.8 percent) from the floor while chipping in seven rebounds. Joining Langlais in double-figures was sophomore guard Jordan Gainey who dropped 13 points.
 
Game Information
Score: South Carolina 68; USC Upstate 53
Records: USC Upstate (2-4); South Carolina (3-3)
Location: Colonial Life Arena | Columbia, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Half

• Opening the Upstate side of the scoring ledger with a three-pointer, Gainey kept the game in a back-and-forth flow as he answered each South Carolina scoring possession with a score of his own. Over the first four minutes of the game, he scored each of the Spartans' first five points.
• Into the game's first media stoppage, coming nearly a minute and a half after the 16-minute mark—the Gamecocks began building a lead with a 7-0 scoring run that answered Gainey's second field goal. The resilient Spartans didn't let the disadvantage build as they cut the deficit to a single possession at the media as Khydarius Smith (jumper) and Nick Alves (three) posted a 5-0 scoring run into the stoppage.
• Out of the quick and nearly-successive under-12 media timeout, Upstate kept things close by going shot-for-shot with South Carolina, including scoring three or four points to the Gamecocks two ahead of the under-four media. Twice in the stretch, the Spartans saw a pair of four-point runs, building an advantage for the final quarter of the half.
• Heading into the locker room, Upstate held South Carolina to 1-of-6 shooting from the floor over the final four minutes of the half, maintaining the Spartans' lead. Seeing the advantage cut to a single point with a pair of free throws, Alves hit the final bucket of the half to push the lead to three.

 
Second Half

• Scoring four straight points with a layup to open the second half, Alves delivered Upstate its largest lead of the game in the early minutes of the second half. The Gamecocks, however, responded with a 10-0 scoring run—the longest of the game—forcing an Upstate timeout.
• With the Gamecock lead skewed to seven points, Langlais went to work as he scored six straight Upstate points to keep the Spartan deficit at a single possession. Into the under-12 media timeout, Langlais and Trae Broadnax combined to score eight points, holding South Carolina's lead to three.
• With a basket ahead of the media timeout and two following it, South Carolina built the lead to nine with a 6-0 scoring run. Gainey made consecutive field goals for the Spartans to keep the lead from building heading into the final six-plus minutes of the half.
• Growing the lead to double-digits, the Gamecocks used scoring runs of five, six, and three points to expand upon their lead. Over the final six and a half minutes of the game, South Carolina outscored Upstate 16 to 8 to earn the victory.

 
Notable

• With Gainey's made three to open Upstate's scoring, the Spartans have hit a three-point field goal in each of the team's 479 games as an NCAA Division I member. Extending into the Division II era, Upstate has knocked down a three in at least 626 straight games (records limited).
• Drawing a pair of second-half charges, freshman forward Jordyn Surratt upped his team-leading drawn charges total to five as he's drawn a charge in three straight games. On the season, Upstate has had at least one player take a charge in all six games.
• With his second double-figure scoring game of the season—and second in the past three games—Ahmir Langlais notched his third double-figure scoring game in a Spartan uniform after posting one such game last season. He nearly secured his second career double-double, adding seven rebounds.
• Complementing Langlais' 14 points with 13 of his own, Jordan Gainey has scored in double-figures in four straight games. The streak marks the longest for a Spartan this season, breaking a tie with three-game streaks held by Justin Bailey and Trae Broadnax.

 
UP Next for the Spartans
Following a two-game excursion on the road, the Spartans return to the friendly confines of the G.B. Hodge Center for a mid-week matchup with Columbia International. Upstate hosts the Rams next Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.
 
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USC Upstate men's basketball has sold out two of its last four home games dating back to the 2021-22 season, including this season's home opener on November 7. USC Upstate is offering a variety of ways for fans to watch Upstate Basketball this season! Tickets can be purchased through ticketreturn.com and options include courtside seats, season packages, two new mini-plan offerings, group packages, and individual game tickets. Click here to order your tickets.
 
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