BIRMINGHAM, ALA. – The USC Upstate women's basketball program dropped its first ever contest against the Bulldogs of Samford University as the competitive game finished 57-52 in Birmingham on Thursday night.  

Upstate found itself primarily on defense in the first quarter as the hosting Bulldogs went 7-14 from the field to force the Spartans to trail 20-9 early. Dakota Reeves continued to show opponents that she can be dangerous from distance as she led Upstate through the first quarter while three other Spartans found a way to post points as well. Trinity Johnson was able to score two points as well as collect two defensive rebounds and make one assist.  

With plenty of time left and a good amount of work to be done, Upstate began to chip away at Samford's 11-point lead and outscored the Bulldogs 12-11 in the second quarter. Both teams went 4-12 from the field but the difference maker was Upstate scoring 75.0% from the free throw line. Johnson settled into the game and led Upstate through the quarter with five points, two rebounds, and one assist. Rebekah Gordon found a groove as well as she contributed four points to the Spartans 21-point total at halftime.  

Coming out of the break, Upstate had a dominant third quarter, outscoring Samford 18-13 and cutting the Bulldog's lead to five points. Gordon picked up right where she left off before the break as she went 4-5 from the field, collected one rebound, and made one steal. Jeni Levine contributed four points in the third quarter while also collecting two rebounds and making one steal. The Spartans not only went 9-15 from the field compared to the Bulldogs 4-15 but also allowed fewer turnovers.  

Both Upstate and Samford posted 13 points to finish the game with the Spartans going 5-12 from the field compared to the Bulldogs' 5-15. Johnson finished the game with an additional two assists and six points to score a season-high 15 while trying to help the Spartans get the comeback win. AC Markham, Jeni Levine, and Gracie Barnes contributed to Upstate's final quarter points as well. The fourth quarter saw Upstate score more second chance points and more fast break points than Samford but it was not enough to secure the win. Upstate's overall record shifts to 3-6 with another road trip in the near future for the Spartans.  

 
Game Information 
Score: USC Upstate 52; Samford 57 
Records: USC Upstate (3-6; 0-0 Big South) vs. Samford University (5-2; 0-0 SoCon)   

Location: Pete Hanna Center | Birmingham, Ala.   

How It Happened: 

First Quarter: Upstate 9; Samford 20 

• The Bulldogs got the first points on the board to force the Spartans to trail by five before getting their first points from distance.  

• Samford outscored Upstate 10-4 in the next five minutes to make the game 15-7 with just over three minutes left in the first quarter.  

• Hosting Samford scored five more points to finish the first quarter with 20 points while Trinity Johnson scored Upstate's final first quarter points off a Bulldog turnover.  

Second Quarter: Upstate 21; Samford 31 

• Similar to the first half, Samford got five points on the board quick but Upstate was quick to respond with four to make the game 25-13 early in the second quarter. 

• Both teams entered a 90 second scoring drought before the Bulldogs were able to get one point from the charity stripe.  

• Following the scoring drought, Upstate was able to outscore Samford 8-5 in the final two and a half minutes of the half to make the game 31-21 going into the break.  

Third Quarter: Upstate 39; Samford 44 

• In the first few minutes of the third quarter, two layups from Gordon helped the Spartans out score the Bulldogs and bring the game within nine points before a 90 second scoring drought. 

• Two unanswered shots from distance from Samford kept Upstate from gaining too much momentum as the Bulldogs led 40-27 with just over four minutes left in the third quarter.  

• The Spartans had a strong finish to the quarter as they posted 10 unanswered points before the Bulldogs capped the quarter with two made free throws (44-39). 

Fourth Quarter: Upstate 52; Samford 57 

• Upstate scored the first point of the fourth quarter and Samford was quick to follow with a layup off a Spartan turnover.  

• The Spartans continued to build momentum to keep the game within reach as a free throw from Johnson and a layup from Markham cut Samford's lead to just three points.  

• Samford was able to stretch its lead back to five points before nearly two minutes passed without either team scoring.  

• The final few minutes saw nine points for both teams, resulting in a 57-52 finish in favor of the hosting Bulldogs.  

Notable 

• Rebekah Gordon (14) had her fifth game this season scoring in double-figures.  

• Gordon also tied her season-high for steals which she originally set against ECU (2). 

• Gordon currently leads the Spartans with 99 points, averaging 11.0 points per game.  

• Trinity Johnson set a season-high for points and had her third game of the season scoring in double figures with the 13 points she scored today. She also set a season-high for field goals made (5-11). 

• With her seven assists against the Bulldogs, Johnson has had 5+ assists in seven of the eight contests she has played in. 

Up Next for the Spartans  
The Spartans will prepare to play the Catamounts of Western Carolina in Cullowhee, N.C. Tuesday, December 5 at 11:30 a.m.  

   
Support the Spartans  
USC Upstate returns to the G.B. Hodge Center on Saturday, December 9 to host Furman at 4:30 p.m. ET. to kick off the Upstate Basketball double-header. 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.  

    
Gameday Parking   
Fans attending USC Upstate basketball games in the coming weeks will notice a change in parking options. Parking for the general public will only be available in front of the Hodge Center as the rows adjacent to the building on the University Way side are closed due to renovation work to the Hodge Center roof. VIP parking for donors entering the Champions Suite behind the Arena is unaffected. Parking is free for all USC Upstate basketball games and the closure of the side lots around the building will be in effect indefinitely.    
   

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