SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Facing an uphill battle after falling behind late in the first half and fighting from behind, USC Upstate men's basketball showed its toughness as it fought back to secure victory, going ahead in the final minute to defeat Presbyterian 61-60 Wednesday night.
 
Setting itself up for the second-half comeback, Upstate hung its hat on the defensive end, permitting the Blue Hose to shoot 33.3 percent from the field—the second-lowest shooting percentage surrendered to a Division I opponent this season. A key contributor to limiting Presbyterian's offense was the team's ability to block shots, blocking 12 shots for the first double-digit block game for the program since 2015-16.
 
Leading the Spartan offense, two players, freshman guard Justin Bailey and redshirt sophomore guard Trae Broadnax scored in double-figures, scoring 16 and 14 points, respectively. For Bailey, his 16 points tied a career-high as he knocked down three of four attempts from beyond the arc while Broadnax finished 5-of-7 from the field.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 61; Presbyterian 60
Records: USC Upstate (9-9; 4-3 Big South); Presbyterian (5-15; 1-6 Big South)
Location: G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Half

• Out of the gate, Upstate took the opening tip and found itself first on the scoreboard as Trae Broadnax found a wide-open Jordyn Surratt for the game's first basket. While a three-point play from Presbyterian gave the Blue Hose the lead, the Spartans used a 6-0 run to jump out to an early five-point lead—its largest of the game.
• The Spartans' 6-0 run was part of a larger 9-3 scoring run that gave Upstate a second five-point advantage heading into the under 16-media timeout. Upstate saw a third five-point lead with 14-and-a-half minutes as the Spartan run grew to 11-5 following the Blue Hose's first basket.
• Beginning to chip away at Upstate's lead, Presbyterian tied the game on three occasions during the middle portion of the first half before a 6-0 run gave the Blue Hose the lead for the final time in the half. Heading into the final minute of the half, the Blue Hose stayed just ahead of the Spartans to build a seven-point advantage into the half's final minute.
• Facing a seven-point deficit, Upstate hit the final two shots of the half as Justin Bailey and Jordan Gainey hit a pair of huge treys for the Spartans. Gainey's biggest shot of the first half came in the form of a fastbreak buzzer-beater after Broadnax forced a Presbyterian turnover.

 
Second Half

• Out of the halftime locker room, it was Presbyterian that took back the game's momentum with baskets on its first two possessions to grow its lead back to five. Outscoring the Spartans 12-4 into the half's first media stoppage, the Blue Hose pushed their lead near double-figures at nine points.
• Despite a pair of Upstate buckets following the under-16 media timeout, Presbyterian grew its lead to 13 points—the largest of the game with 10 minutes to play. The Blue Hose followed its 12-4 stretch with an 8-4 scoring stretch to craft its lead.
• Fighting its way back, Upstate followed with a 12-3 scoring run of its own to close the gap to four points with six-and-a-half minutes to play. With the deficit at four points, the Spartans allowed just two made field goals and one free throw to the Blue Hose for the remainder of the game.
• Pulling within one with a layup from Khydarius Smith with two-and-a-half minutes to play, the Spartans held their own on the defensive end for the remainder of the game, not allowing a Blue Hose shot attempt while forcing two turnovers. The game-winning shot came from Gainey with 54 seconds remaining as he hit a contested layup in the lane before an Upstate defensive stand.

 
Notable

• Entering Wednesday's game leading the Big South in total blocks during conference play, Upstate collected 12 blocks against the Blue Hose as four Spartans tied or set their career-high in the category. The total marked the most blocks for a Spartan team since posting 11 blocks versus Toccoa Falls on Nov. 30, 2015.
• Leading the Spartans with a team-best and career-high-tying 16 points—tying his point total versus Charleston Southern on Dec. 31—Justin Bailey secured his fifth double-figure scoring game during Big South play. He did so by tying a career-high with three made threes, canning three of his four attempts from deep.
• Joining Bailey in double-figures, Broadnax contributed 14 points for his sixth double-figure scoring game during league play, a team-leading total. He finished the night 5-of-7 from the field while adding six assists and five rebounds.
• With a Mysta Goodloe three in the first minutes of Wednesday's first half, Upstate improved its streak of consecutive games with a made three-pointer to 858 games, a streak that extends back to the 1994-95 season. The streak also includes each of the team's 491 games at the NCAA Division I level (2007-pres.).

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Continuing its string of games against regional rivals, Upstate hits the road for a pair of games, beginning Saturday at UNC Asheville. The Spartans and Bulldogs are set for a 2 p.m. ET tip-off.
 
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