Justin Bailey Up the Court vs. South Carolina 1st Half 2023
Ryan Frye
53
USC Upstate USCU 0-1,0-0 Big South
82
Winner South Carolina USC 1-0,0-0 SEC
USC Upstate USCU
0-1,0-0 Big South
53
Final
82
South Carolina USC
1-0,0-0 SEC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
USC Upstate USCU 28 25 53
South Carolina USC 42 40 82

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Justin Bailey and Trae Broadnax Score in Double-Figures to Lead Men's Basketball In Season Opener at South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Opening the season on the road for the first time in two seasons and returning to South Carolina to open a new campaign for the third time, USC Upstate men's basketball saw two scoring in double-figures in an 82-53 setback Monday night at Colonial Life Arena.
 
Leading the offense, the Spartans' two preseason All-Big South guards, sophomore Justin Bailey and redshirt junior Trae Broadnax each notched double-figures, collecting 13 and 10 markers, respectively. Bailey supplemented his 18th career double-figure scoring game with a game-high three steals while Broadnax supported his 25th career double-figure scoring night with four rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
 
Led by Bailey's three thefts, Upstate pilfered 11 steals Monday evening, reaching 10 or more steals against a Power-Five opponent for the first time since swiping 10 steals at Georgia Tech on Jan. 2, 2019. Joining Bailey with multiple steals were graduate student guard Nick Alves and sophomore forward Jorge Ochoa who tallied two thefts apiece. Elsewhere on the defensive end, redshirt senior forward Ahmir Langlais totaled three of the team's five blocks on the night, tying a career-high.
 
Game Information
Score: South Carolina 82; USC Upstate 53
Records: USC Upstate (0-1; 0-0 Big South); South Carolina (1-0; 0-0 SEC)
Location: Colonial Life Arena | Columbia, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Half
  • After seeing neither team able to score for nearly two minutes to open the game, Upstate and South Carolina went back and forth with one another heading into the first media timeout. The teams traded baskets before the Gamecocks connected on back-to-back threes to take the lead. Leading into the stoppage, Jordyn Surratt beat the shot clock buzzer with a layup—prompting a review—and pulling the Spartans within one.
  • Out of the media timeout, the Gamecocks fashioned a 7-0 scoring run, building a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Ahmir Langlais snapped the run with a paint jumper before South Carolina strung five straight points together to create a 12-2 scoring stretch.
  • The Spartans kept the game close with a pair of scoring short scoring runs, keeping the deficit manageable as the team saw a four-point scoring run coming after the aforementioned 12-2 scoring stretch for South Carolina. Heading towards the final media timeout, Upstate crafted its longest scoring run of the first half, scoring five straight points to pull within seven with five minutes to play in the half.
  • Seeing Upstate cut their lead to single digits with a minute remaining in the half, the Gamecocks scored the final five points of the half to extend the advantage to 14 heading into the locker room.
 
Second Half
  • Beginning the second half, the Spartans scored the first four points to trim the deficit to 10 points while holding the Gamecocks off the scoreboard for over two minutes. South Carolina responded with five straight points before Jordyn Surratt snapped that streak with a layup.
  • Building their lead, the Gamecocks used their second-longest scoring run of the game to push the lead to 20-plus points for the first time, scoring 10 straight points following Surratt's layup. Upstate, however, responded with its longest scoring run of the game, putting together a stretch of 10 straight points with four Spartans scoring in the run.
  • Answering the Spartans' 10-point scoring run, South Carolina tacked on its longest scoring stretch of the night with 11 straight points, spurred by three treys. Miguel Ayesa snapped the run with a made three as the two teams traded buckets heading into the game's final four minutes.
  • Over the final four minutes, South Carolina outscored Upstate 10-2, fabricating another 10-point scoring run to push the lead to 30 points. Capping the game's scoring, Thomas Sheida knifed to the hoop, hitting a layup with 46 seconds remaining.
 
Notable
  • Hitting four three-pointers Monday night, Upstate extended its streak of games with at least one made three to 873 games, a streak that dates to the 1994-95 season. The streak includes each of the program's 506 games at the Division I level (2007-pres.).
  • Swiping 11 steals against the Gamecocks, the Spartans collected double-digit steals for the first time since last season's finale versus Gardner-Webb (12 steals) on Feb. 25, 2023, while the team's 11 steals also mark the most against a Power-Five opponent since posting 10 steals versus Georgia Tech on Jan. 2, 2019. Last season, Upstate swiped 10 or more steals in a game on six occasions.
  • In the Spartans' season opener, five of the program's six newcomers made their Upstate debut as Miguel Ayesa, Patrick Iriel, Jorge Ochoa, Eduardo Placer, and CJ Rich each saw their first action in a Spartan uniform.
 
Up Next for the Spartans
Continuing the team's two-game road trip to open the season, the Spartans travel to Nashville for a meeting with another Southeastern Conference foe. Upstate meets Vanderbilt for the first time in the program's Division I era Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
 
Connect with the Spartans 
Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics 
Twitter | @UpstateMBB | @UpstateSpartans 
Instagram | @UpstateMBB | @UpstateSpartans 
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans
 
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