SPARTANBURG, S.C. – USC Upstate women's basketball kicked off its conference slate with a fourth quarter comeback victory over Charleston Southern on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans battled back to finish 59-57 with Isabella Geraci leading the team with 12 points and AC Markham just behind her with 11 points and 10 rebounds.  

Upstate and Charleston Southern spent the first quarter trading off points and the lead as the Bucs initially had the lead but AC Markham put one away quick to keep the game close. The Spartans and the Bucs were tied three times in the first quarter at 4-4, 9-9, and 13-13 until the Bucs took a three-point lead at the end of the first 10 minutes. Markham posted four points as did Roldan to help the Spartans keep it a close game. Upstate posted eight points in the paint along with four second chance points and six bench points.  

Going into the second quarter, the Bucs pushed their lead to five points but couldn't keep the lead as the Spartans were able to tie the game 20-20 halfway through the quarter. The Spartans were able to establish a five-point lead with two points from Rebekah Gordon, three points from Jeni Levine and five points from Zora Fray-Chinn. Following the media timeout, the Bucs went on a seven-point run to retake the lead and force the Spartans to trail 33-30 going into halftime. Fray-Chinn led the Spartans in the second quarter with eight points while Gordon and Geraci recorded two rebounds each and Johnson recorded two steals.  

Coming out of the break, a three-pointer from the Bucs pushed the game to 36-30 before Johnson and Jeni Levine posted two each to bring the game within one basket. A three-pointer from Talia Roldan and a layup from Isabella Geraci provided Upstate the lead once more with the game being 39-38. Upstate held the lead until just under four minutes left in the quarter when the Bucs battled back to tie the game at 44-44. Despite a late three-point jump shot from Rebekah Gordon, the Spartans went into the final quarter trailing 52-47. Geraci posted seven points while the team went 75% for three-pointers and had eight points in the paint.  

With only 10 minutes remaining, the Spartans dug deep to close the five-point gap the Bucs had. Markham kicked off what would become a seven-point run for the Spartans with Markham (5), Geraci (5) and Johnson (2) making the game 59-52 with just under five minutes remaining. CSU was able to tally another five points with under two minutes left in hopes of sending the game into overtime. The Spartans battled through the final minutes to shut down the Bucs' offense and secure the first Big South Conference win of the season with the 59-57 win. Markham recorded five points and six rebounds in the final quarter, going 2-3 for field goals and 1-1 for three-pointers. 

 
Game Information 
Score: USC Upstate 59; Charleston Southern 57 
Records: USC Upstate (4-8, 1-0 Big South) vs. Charleston Southern (2-11, 0-2 Big South)  
Location: G. B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C. 

How It Happened:  

First Quarter:  

• CSU got on the board first with a successful free throw.  

• Upstate and CSU were tied at four apiece just three minutes into the game.  

• A three pointer from Hicks returned the lead to the Bucs before Upstate went on a four-point run to take the lead 8-7.  

• Second chance layups from Walker and Gordon helped Upstate sit 13-10 over Charleston Southern with under two and a half to go.  

• The Bucs were able to sink two three-pointers to force the Spartans to trail 16-13 at the end of the first quarter. 

Second Quarter:  

• CSU extended its lead to five points to start the second quarter.  

• Markham hit a hook shot which was followed by consecutive jump shots from Gordon to give Upstate the lead at 22-20. 

• With just over three left in the half, the score sat 25-25 until a jump shot and a driving layup by Zora Fray-Chinn provided a five-point lead for Upstate just before the media time out.  

• The Bucs went on a seven-point run to regain the lead and make Upstate trail 33-30 going into the break.  

Third Quarter:  

• The Bucs pushed their lead to six points before Johnson and J. Levine put down two apiece to make the game 36-34. 

• Capitalizing on a turnover, Geraci made a layup on the fast break to make the game 39-38 with just over six minutes left in the third quarters.  

• With four left in the quarter Upstate had a two-point lead before the Bucs went on a five-point run and made the game 49-44.  

• Despite a jump shot from Gordon in the final 33 second of the quarter, CSU was able to sink one more three pointer before the teams moved into the fourth quarter.  

Fourth Quarter:  

•  Upstate kicked off the fourth and final quarter with 12 points right out of the gate to not only regain the lead but to establish a seven-point gap between itself and CSU.  

• In the final minutes CSU tallied five points but was unable to tie the game and send it into overtime.  

• Upstate was able to affectively defend five shots in the last 90 seconds of play.   

Notable 

• AC Markham tied her career-high of 11 points which was originally set against Montreat (12/14/22). 

• Along with her 11 points, Markham recorded 10 rebounds to earn her first career- double-double and set a new career-high with two blocks.  

• After scoring 12 points against the Bucs, Geraci has had five games scoring in double-figures. 

• Upstate earns its 12th win over CSU to continue to lead the overall series 12-6 and 7-2 at home in the G.B. Hodge Center. 

• Upstate set a new team high of field goal attempts (63) and three point field goals made (8), as well as tied its season-high for blocked shots (4).  

UP Next for the Spartans 

Upstate stays at home to host the Highlanders of Radford University on Wednesday, January 4th at 7:00 p.m. in the G.B. Hodge Center before finishing the week in High Point, N.C. to play the Panthers of High Point on Saturday, January 7th at 2:00 p.m.            

  
JOIN UP 
Make a difference in the lives of USC Upstate student-athletes!  Donate to the USC Upstate U Club today! 

CHEER ON THE SPARTANS AT THE HODGE! 

Tickets for all Upstate home contests are available through ticketreturn.com including courtside seats, season packages, two new mini plan offerings, group packages and individual game tickets. Click here to order your tickets now.    

 
 
Keep UP with the Spartans 
Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics 
Twitter: @UpstateWBB 
Instagram: @upstatespartans 
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans