MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Facing its third Power-Five opponent and fourth Power-Six opponent of the season, USC Upstate men's basketball battled throughout the afternoon, leading the game in the first half and not letting the deficit reach double-figures until midway through the second half, battling back each time it hit 10 points, as it dropped a 67-53 decision at Minnesota.
 
Despite the loss, Upstate led the game with three double-figure scores while holding Minnesota to just one such scorer, limiting the reigning Big 10 Player of the Week—entered the game averaging 20 plus points per game—to just 14 markers. Sophomore guard Justin Bailey led Upstate's trio of double-figure scorers with 14 points while redshirt junior guard Trae Broadnax and redshirt senior forward Ahmir Langlais added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
 
Defensively, the Spartans continued to win the turnover battle, forcing 11 Golden Gopher turnovers on the afternoon. Upstate has forced its opponent into 11 or more turnovers in all five games this season and did so Saturday by swiping seven steals.
 
Game Information
Score: Minnesota 67; USC Upstate 53
Records: USC Upstate (2-3; 0-0 Big South); Minnesota (3-1; 0-0 Big 10)
Location: Williams Arena | Minneapolis, Minn.
 
How It Happened
First Half

• Taking the opening tip, Minnesota jumped out to an early four-point advantage before Justin Bailey knifed to the hole for Upstate's first points. The two teams traded buckets heading into the media timeout with Nick Alves draining a three for the Spartans to pull within one. Upstate headed into the first stoppage trailing by three.
• Erasing the deficit, the Spartans crafted their best scoring run of the afternoon, reeling off eight straight points to control the lead for the first time. A pair of Bailey three-balls sandwiched an Ahmir Langlais layup to create the scoring stretch. As the Golden Gophers dug into the lead, Jorge Ochoa hit a three from atop the arc that pushed the Spartan advantage back to five.
• Seeing Upstate's lead hit five points for the second time, Minnesota answered with a 12-2 scoring run to retake the lead as they used two six-point runs. Snapping the streak for the Spartans was Trae Broadnax who hit a layup as the Golden Gopher lead grew to as many as five off the second 6-0 run. Bailey knocked down three free throws to snap the run and pull Upstate within two.
• Closing out the half, the two sided went back and forth with one another as neither team could string together a long scoring run. The teams traded 4-0 scoring runs heading into the locker room with Minnesota growing the lead back to six before Upstate cut it to two at the buzzer.

 
Second Half

• Out of the locker room, Trae Broadnax muscled his way to the hole to tie the game as he hit a layup for the half's first points. Breaking the game's final deadlock, the Golden Gophers scored five straight points from the free throw line before Upstate provided its counter.
• With the lead sitting at five in favor of Minnesota, Upstate scored four consecutive markers to cut the lead to one. Langlais and Broadnax each made layups, each reaching 10 points on the afternoon, to create the small scoring run. The Spartans answered each subsequent Golden Gopher basket, keeping within one possession into the floating media timeout.
• Knocking back at Upstate staying within a possession of the lead, Minnesota strung together its longest scoring run of the second half as it scored seven straight points to grow the lead to double-figures for the first time. The Spartans cut the lead from 10 twice before the Golden Gophers built it back, growing the lead to 11 heading into the game's final seven minutes.
• Seeing the deficit at 11 points, the Spartans cut the lead to five as they crafted their longest second-half scoring run with a 6-0 spurt. Minnesota, however, countered by scoring 10 of the game's final 11 points, growing the final advantage to 14 at the horn.

 
Notable

• Despite seeing its streak of games with five double-figure scorers snapped Saturday, Upstate did see three players score in double-figures, seeing three or more double-figure scorers for the third straight game. The three-game streak marks the longest for the Spartans since fashioning a nine-game streak late last season.
• Entering the game as one of the top teams in the nation in forced turnovers, the Spartans forced 11 Minnesota turnovers as the team has forced 11 or more opponent turnovers in each game this season. The streak of five straight games forcing 10 or more turnovers to start the season is the longest since doing so in 19 consecutive games to open the 2021-22 season.
• Hitting six three-pointers against Minnesota, Upstate extended its streak of games with at least one made three to 877 games, a streak dating back to the 1994-95 season. The streak includes each of the program's 510 games at the NCAA Division I level (2007-pres.).

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Closing out Midwest Madness and the team's three-game road swing, Upstate returns to action Tuesday at Ball State. Tip-off from Muncie, Ind. is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and airs on ESPN+.
 
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