HIGH POINT, N.C. – USC Upstate women's basketball made history as it not only secured its first road win of the season, but also its third consecutive conference win to start the season and its first win over High Point in program history with a 62-60 win on Saturday afternoon in North Carolina. Talia Roldan (13), Isabella Geraci (12), Rebekah Gordon (11), and AC Markham (10) all found themselves in double-figures against the Panthers while Gordon and Geraci nearly earned a double-double with nine rebounds each. 

The hosting Panthers got on the board first with a shot from distance, but the Spartans responded quickly with a layup from Jeni Levine. Upstate and High Point exchanged baskets until a three-pointer from AC Markham kicked off what would be a nine-point run to make the game 16-9. Both teams would get one more basket before the quarter ended with Upstate leading 18-11. The Spartans led the game in field goal percentage (44.4%) and three-point percentage (50.0%) while also leading in rebounds 15-5.  

Similar to the first quarter, Upstate and High Point went back and forth exchanging points, with the Spartans maintaining the lead throughout the majority of the quarter. With 2:30 left in the half, High Point was able to go 6-6 for free throws to tie the game before the break. Markham posted eight points in the first half while Geraci led the Spartans in rebounds (6).  

Coming out of halftime the Spartans found themselves on defense as the Panthers went on a 14-point run to take the lead. Regardless of the odds stacked against them the Spartans continued to battle and find the net. Talia Roldan scored nine points in the quarter to help keep the Spartans in the game while Rebekah Gordon contributed five points. Upstate went 56.3% (9-16) for field goals in the quarter. 

Trailing by six going into the final 10 minutes, Upstate pulled out all the stops and went on a seven-point run in the final four minutes to reclaim the lead with points coming from Johnson, Geraci, and J. Levine. The Panthers put away five final points in hopes of sending the game into overtime, but the Spartan defense remained disciplined. Johnson finished the game with one final free throw to secure the 62-60 win for Upstate. 

Head coach Jason Williams was ecstatic about the win saying, "Our kids are constantly responding and for us to be able to go to High Point for a road game and be able to get a road win is amazing. I'm proud of the way our kids responded down by ten and with a lot of adversity facing them and an amazing High Point team on the court. At the end of the day, our kids responded the right way, with great character and great ambition".  

 
Game Information 
Score: USC Upstate 62; High Point 60 
Records: USC Upstate (6-8, 3-0 Big South) vs. High Point (4-10, 2-2 Big South)     
Location: Qubein Center | High Point, N.C. 

How It Happened:  

First Quarter:  

• High point claimed the first points of the game as Curran hit a three-pointer in the first 15 seconds. 

• Jeni Levine got Upstate on the board with a layup in the paint on a fast break.  

• Isabella Geraci gave Upstate the lead with a second chance jump shot.  

• With less than five minutes left in the quarter, AC Markham sank a three-pointer which solidified the lead for the Spartans.  

• AC's three-pointer kick started a point run for Upstate with points also coming from Jeni Levine and Rebekah Gordon.  

• Gordon scored the last points of the quarter with a layup to make the game 18-11 after the first 10 minutes.  

Second Quarter:  

• High point started the quarter with a layup to try to chip away at the Spartans' lead.  

• Markham continued to be a powerhouse for Upstate, scoring a layup along with the and-one giving Upstate an eight-point lead. 

• The Panthers went on a six-point run to make the game 23-21 with just over four minutes left in the half.  

• Trinity Johnson made two free throws to add two points to the Spartans' score.  

• High point went 6-6 for free throws in the final minutes to take the lead. 

• Johnson made sure the Spartans didn't go into the break trailing as she scored a layup to make the game 27-27. 

Third Quarter:  

• Geraci hit a layup to start the third quarter and give Upstate a two-point lead. 

• High Point was able to reach a 14-point lead following the media timeout despite points from Markham and J. Levine.  

• Upstate went on a seven-point run to chip away at the Panthers lead with points from Roldan and Gordon. 

• Six points from Roldan helped reel in the Panthers' lead as the Spartans trailed 52-46 going into the final quarter. 

Fourth Quarter:  

• Geraci made a layup as well as the and-one just before Gordon made a layup to put the game within one point.  

• Following the media time out Johnson was able to reclaim the lead for the Spartans for the final time with a pull up jump shot on the fast break. 

• Geraci and J. Levine added to Upstate's lead as the Spartans led by six with just over two minutes left in the game.  

• Five points from the Panthers put the game within one point with 45 seconds left on the clock. 

• With disciplined defense and a made free throw from Johnson, Upstate was able to finish the game and leave HPU with a win.  
     

Notable 

• Tali Roldan set a new season-high for points (13) surpassing her original high of 10 set against Vanderbilt (11/29/22). 

• Rebekah Gordon set a new season-high for rebounds (9) surpassing her original high of eight set against Morehead State (12/12/22). 

• AC Markham set a new season-high for assists (4) surpassing her original high of three set against Western Carolina (11/18/22). 

• Jeni Levine set a new season-high for minutes played (33) surpassing her original high of 32 set against Morehead State (12/12/22). 

• The Spartans who found themselves in double-figures have done so multiple times this season; Roldan (2), Geraci (7), Gordon (5), Markham (3). 

Up Next for the Spartans 

The Spartans will return to the road for the second straight game with their destination being Buies Creek, N.C. where they will play the Camels of Campbell University at 7:00 p.m..             

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

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