STATESBORO, GA. – The USC Upstate women's basketball program capped the Georgia Southern Thanksgiving MTE Tournament with its first road win of the season as the Spartans emerged with a 73-60 victory over the Ospreys of North Florida.  

Upstate and North Florida came out strong to start the first quarter with the two teams exchanging points through the first five minutes of play. The Ospreys were able to make a push late in the quarter, forcing the Spartans to trail by 11-points at the end of the first. Rebekah Gordon had an impressive start as she scored 80% of Upstate's first quarter points. Trinity Johnson led the team in assists with two while Isabell West led the team in rebounds with two.  

The Spartans found their rhythm in the second quarter and outscored the Ospreys 18-9 to put the game within a basket's reach. Upstate started the second quarter with a 10-point run and kept North Florida scoreless for nearly four minutes as the game sat 25-20 with just over five minutes until halftime. West posted two points in the paint to take the lead but five final points for the Ospreys made the Spartans go into the break trailing by two. Upstate's accuracy improved in the second quarter as the Spartans went 53.8% from the field compared to the Ospreys' 28.6%. West led the Spartans' offense with six points, but it was Gordon who remained consistent, adding five points to her now 13 total points in the first half. Upstate's second quarter success was found through eight points from turnovers, 10 points in the paint and five second chance points. 

Following the halftime break, the Spartans were a beast to handle on offense as they went 50.0% from the field to outscore the Ospreys for the second straight quarter with 20 points scored compared to 12 for North Florida. North Florida kicked off the third quarter with 10 points while Upstate was nipping at its heels with nine. With less than five minutes to go in the third quarter, Upstate tied the game 40-40 which commenced an 11-point scoring run. The Spartans would retain the lead for the remainder of the game and finish the third quarter leading by six (48-42). Seven Spartans scored points in the third quarter, but the offense was led by West who went 3-3 from the field. Johnson and West collected five rebounds apiece with two of West's being offensive.  

Upstate solidified its win with 25 points in the fourth quarter compared to North Florida's 18. Johnson led the Spartans scoring with eight points, with Markham just behind her with five. The final quarter saw Upstate's best shooting percentages as the Spartans went 75.0% percent from the field (6-8) and 80.0% from the charity stripe (12-15). At the final whistle, Upstate finished with its first road win of the season as well as its first game of the season with four Spartans scoring in double figures. 

 
Game Information 
Score: USC Upstate 73; North Florida 60 
Records: (3-5; 0-0 Big South) vs. North Florida (1-6; 0-0 ASUN)   

Location: Hanner Fieldhouse | Statesboro, Ga.   

How It Happened: 

First Quarter: Upstate 10; North Florida 21 

• The two teams exchanged points, staying tied until halfway through the first quarter.  

• North Florida pulled ahead with a second chance jumper to make the game 12-10 to kick start what would be an 11-point run through the remainder of the first quarter. 

• Upstate trailed 21-10 after the first quarter with only two Spartans getting points on the board.  

Second Quarter: Upstate 28; North Florida 30 

• North Florida claimed the first points in the second quarter before Upstate went on a 10-point scoring run to make the game 23-20. 

• The Osprey went scoreless for over four minutes until a layup added two points. The Spartans responded with four points to make the game 25-24 with just under three and a half minutes left in the half.  

• Upstate took the lead with a layup from Isabell West but North Florida was quick to respond, with five points to go into halftime with a two-point lead.  

Third Quarter: Upstate 48; North Florida 42 

• The first four minutes after halftime saw the Ospreys score 10 points compared to the Spartans nine points which kept North Florida leading by three points.  

• Upstate tied the game 40-40 with what would end up being a nine-point scoring run to make the game 46-40 with less than two minutes in the quarter.  

• North Florida and Upstate both posted two more points to end the third quarter with the Spartans leading 48-42. 

Fourth Quarter: Upstate 73; North Florida 60 

• The Spartans started the final quarter with seven points while keeping the Ospreys scoreless for the first three minutes of the quarter.  

• North Florida responded with an eight-point run to bring the game back within five points.  

• North Florida was able to bring the game within two points before the Spartans outscored the Osprey 9-1 through the next two minutes.  

• While holding the Osprey scoreless for the final two minutes, Upstate finished the game with six unanswered points to win 73-60. 

Notable 

• Rebekah Gordon (18) and Isabell West (15) both had their fourth games this season scoring in double-figures.  

• AC Markham tied her season-high for points and had her second game of the season scoring in double figures with the 11 points she scored today. 

• Trinity Johnson set a season-high for points and had her second game of the season scoring in double figures with the 13 points she scored today. 

• This was Upstate's second win scoring 70+ points (73 vs. North Florida; 72 vs. Lees-McRae College). 

• Upstate set season-highs for points scored (73), free throw attempts (26), rebounds (39), and for assists (16). The Spartans also tied its season-highs for field goals attempted (26) and free throws made (17).  

Up Next for the Spartans 

USC Upstate remains on the road to take on the Bulldogs of Samford Thursday at 6 p.m. ET in Birmingham, Ala. 

Cheer on the Spartans! 

The Spartans return home to the G.B. Hodge Center to host Furman, Saturday, Dec. 9 at 4:30 p.m. ET. Tickets for all USC Upstate men's and women's basketball games are on sale now with tickets beginning at just $8! To order log into upstatespartans.com/tickets. 

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