SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Locked in a game that saw no lead greater than five points throughout the night, USC Upstate men's basketball found a way and locked down for the final two minutes of the game to propel itself to a 60-55 victory Wednesday night at the G.B. Hodge Center.
Fueled by a sold-out crowd, Upstate held Presbyterian to 0-4 shooting over the game's final two minutes while forcing a turnover with the stretch leading to a 5-0 scoring run to put away the victory and give Upstate a season sweep of Presbyterian in the same season for the first time in series history.
Leading Upstate, freshman guard
Jordan Gainey tallied a game-high 17 points while adding a career-high-tying seven rebounds, shooting 46.1 percent (6-of-13) from the floor and 60 percent (3-of-5) from three. Senior guard
Dalvin White joined Gainey in double-figures, contributing 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists while shooting 50 percent from both the floor and three.
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 60; Presbyterian 55
Records: USC Upstate (11-14; 8-5 Big South); Presbyterian (11-17; 3-10 Big South)
Location: G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
How It Happened
First Half
- Opening the game burying a wing three while being fouled, Jordan Gainey put Upstate on the board first, staking a 4-0 lead. Khydarius Smith added a turn-around jumper to give Upstate a 6-2 lead before Presbyterian scored six straight points to regain the lead with Smith tying the game with his second field goal into the first media timeout.
- Adding a layup to Smith's second field goal, Upstate pushed back ahead before the two teams went blow-for-blow with one another before the Spartans' Josh Aldrich and Smith knocked down a three and a layup into the under-8 media timeout to give Upstate a lead.
- Upstate and Presbyterian traded 5-0 runs with the Spartan run, extending to a 7-1 scoring stretch to build their largest lead of the half at five. The Blue Hose countered with their longest scoring run of the game, 7-0, to go ahead before a Gainey pull-up jumper tied the game at 30 into the half.
Second Half
- Following a Presbyterian three to open the second half, Upstate embarked on a 7-0 scoring run, its largest of the game to reclaim the lead. Following the 7-0 run, the teams traded baskets, scoring runs, and the lead entering into the final five minutes of the game.
- Heading into the final five minutes of the game, the Blue Hose used its longest scoring run of the second half, a 5-0 stretch, to take a 53-51 lead into the final four minutes of the game.
- Over the final four minutes of the half, Upstate outscored Presbyterian 9-2, holding the Blue Hose to 1-of-7 shooting down the stretch. Facing a 55-all deadlock with 2:08 to play, the Spartans scored the final five points of the game to claim a five-point victory.
Notable
- Dropping a game-high 17 points Wednesday night, Jordan Gainey notched his 12th double-figure scoring game during Big South play. Behind his scoring total, he's totaled 14 or more points in 12 of 13 Big South games this season.
- Pulling in a game-high 10 rebounds, Josh Aldrich posted a season-high total on the glass. The game marked his second career double-digit rebounding game, joining his career-high 12 rebounds against Gardner-Webb on Feb. 22, 2021.
- Adding a 60-55 victory Wednesday night to an 82-72 triumph at Presbyterian on Jan. 8, Upstate secured its first season sweep of the Blue Hose in series history.
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