CONWAY, S.C. – Much like last season's meeting between the two clubs, USC Upstate men's basketball and Coastal Carolina played a nearly identical second half to last season's meeting with Upstate erasing a Coastal second-half advantage with big shots down the stretch. However, this season's meeting saw the game head to overtime, with the result flipping in favor of the Chanticleers who hit the go-ahead shot in the final seconds to claim a 72-70 victory.
 
Shooting below 25 percent from the field in the first half, the Spartans got things going from the field in the second half and overtime, improving the team's shooting percentages in each period as they cut into the Chanticleer lead. With no player scoring more than five points individually in the first half, several Spartans posted a big second half and overtime as redshirt junior guard Floyd Rideau Jr., graduate student guard Miguel Ayesa, redshirt sophomore guard Jalen Breazeale, and redshirt junior forward Trae Broadnax scored 12, nine, eight, and eight points, respectively, following halftime.
 
On the defensive end, Upstate forced 17 Coastal turnovers, including nine in the second half to help the Spartans chip away at the lead. Despite scoring first in the game, the Spartans led for just 2:21 in the first half before fighting its way back behind its defensive effort in the second half before retaking the lead behind a pair of threes from Ayesa as overtime dwindled.
 
Game Information
Score: Coastal Carolina 72; USC Upstate 70 (OT)
Records: USC Upstate (3-5; 0-0 Big South); Coastal Carolina (2-4; 0-0 Sun Belt)
Location: HTC Center | Conway, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Half

• Beginning the game's scoring, Jordyn Surratt made the first of his three straight free throws to open the Spartans' scoring. Coastal countered the first free throw with consecutive made field goals as the two teams went back and forth before Upstate's first field goals—the Spartans opened with five free throws in the scoring ledger.
• With neither side able to pull away from one another—or lift the lid on the basket—Upstate's first field goal came nearly seven minutes into the action as Jorge Ochoa rose up from the right corner with a three-ball before a tough layup from Miguel Ayesa delivered Upstate the lead. Both sides traded buckets heading towards the under-12 timeout with the Spartans taking their final lead of the half behind a Floyd Rideau Jr. three with 11:12 to play.
• Building up their first-half advantage, the Chanticleers outscored Upstate 9-2 over the next three-and-a-half minutes to take a six-point lead into the under-eight media timeout. Upstate battled back to erase the deficit, answering with a 7-1 scoring run to tie the game at 24 with four minutes remaining in the half.
• Retaking the lead and crafting the halftime deficit, Coastal scored the final seven points of the first half to build its biggest lead of the period. The Chanticleers held Upstate to 0-fo-5 from the field to close the half.

 
Second Half

• Adding to the team's 7-0 run to close the first half, Coastal opened the second half with three additional points, growing the lead to double digits for the first time. Snapping the 10-0 scoring stretch for the Chanticleers, Rideau Jr. knocked down a three, ending an over eight-minute scoreless drought for the Spartans.
• Growing the lead to its largest of the night, Coastal answered the Spartans three with six consecutive points as the lead grew to 13. Upstate fought back and brought the deficit back to single digits with consecutive layups from Trae Broadnax and Justin Bailey.
• Seeing the lead head back to double figures, Upstate responded with successive threes from Rideau Jr. and Ayesa to cut the lead to five. After pulling within five, the Spartans continued their fight, tying the game at 49 with six minutes remaining in regulation.
• With Coastal staying just a step—or point—ahead over the final six minutes of the half, Upstate remained resilient and answered each Coastal bucket or run to pull the host's advantage within a possession into the final second. Trailing by three, Rideau Jr. knocked down a crucial three with 17 seconds to play, sending the game to overtime as Upstate withstood a late possession from the Chanticleers.

 
Overtime

• The game's extra period saw the first points scored from the charity stripe as Coastal knocked down a pair of free throws before Ahmir Langais hit a layup to knot things back up. The Chanticleers made back-to-back field goals to build a four-point cushion before Upstate answered back with three consecutive three-pointers, including consecutive triples from Ayesa to take a five-point lead into the game's final media timeout.
• Out of the media stoppage, Coastal scored the final seven markers of the contest to escape with a two-point margin. Driving to the lane with seconds remaining, the Chanticleers' Jacob Meyer hit the game-winner with five seconds remaining.

 
Notable

• Heading to overtime for the first time this season, USC Upstate played its first overtime game in nearly a year. The last time the Spartans went to the extra period was Dec. 10, 2022, in an 89-84 win over South Carolina State.
• Making 13 three-pointers against Coastal Carolina, Upstate tied its season high for makes from beyond the arc, also making 13 threes against Carolina University on Nov. 12. The 13 threes are the most for the Spartans against a Division I opponent since draining 14 against North Carolina A&T on Jan. 29, 2022.
• The Spartans 13 made threes Wednesday improved the program's streak of games with at least one made three-pointer to 880 games, a streak dating back to the 1994-95 season. The streak also included each of the program's 513 games played at the NCAA Division I level (2007-pres.).
• Helping turn the tide of the game in the second half, Upstate forced 17 Coastal Carolina turnovers, extending the team's streak of consecutive games forcing 10 or more turnovers to start the season. The total marked the most this year for the Spartans against a Division I foe.

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Remaining on the road, Upstate ventures to the Triangle, heading to North Carolina for the second time this season, for a meeting with North Carolina Central. The Spartans and Eagles tip off Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
 
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