CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The USC Upstate women's basketball program collected its first true road win with a 73-64 comeback road victory against Western Carolina on Tuesday morning. Upstate's overall record shifts to 4-6 after Isabell West had the performance of her career with 29 points, six rebounds, four steals, two blocks, and one assist.  

Upstate came out strong in the first quarter as a five-point scoring run in the first few minutes helped to establish a one-point lead over Western Carolina. West was active from the jump as she led the Spartans through the first quarter with six points while Jeni Levine was just behind her with four points. Four other Spartans contributed to Upstate's 19 points in the first quarter. As a unit, Upstate went 50% from the field compared to Western Carolina's 43.8%.  

16 points from the Catamounts forced the Spartans to trail by two going into the halftime break. The Spartans struggled on offense but made the most of opportunities as they were presented including going 66.7% from the free throw line. Upstate was able to make four steals in an effort to keep the Catamount offense at bay. Two of Upstate's four steals came from J. Levine while AC Markham picked up three rebounds. West stayed hot through the second quarter as she added another six points for the second straight quarter, bringing her point total to 12.  

Coming out of the halftime break, the Spartans knew there was work to be done and were able to bring the Catamounts' lead down to five points going into the final 10 minutes. Markham remained a key player on the court for the Upstate, collecting two rebounds and claiming all three assists credited to Upstate in the third quarter. Six of the eight Spartans that time in the third quarter were able to find the basket one way or another but no one more than West yet again as she led the team again through the quarter with five points.  

The final quarter saw Upstate tie their season-high for fourth quarter points with 25. As a team the Spartans went 10-19 from the field (53.6%) compared to the Catamounts' 3-12 (25.0%) as well as 5-5 from the charity stripe. West finished the game with 12 points in the final quarter, going 5-6 from the field and 100% from the free throw line. Zora Fray-Chinn went 3-3 from the free throw line to help her score five points in the final quarter. J. Levine and Trinity Johnson finished with a final four points each as well to help Upstate achieve a 73-64 comeback win.  

 
Game Information 
Score: USC Upstate 73; Western Carolina 64 
Records: USC Upstate (4-6; 0-0 Big South) vs. Western Carolina (2-7; 0-0 SoCon)  
Location: Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center | Cullowhee, N.C.    

How It Happened: 

First Quarter: Upstate 19; Western Carolina 18 

• The Catamounts kicked off the game with a made free throw and a shot from distance before the Spartans were able to get three on the board as well.  

• Upstate continued to battle and kept the game close despite being outscored 9-7 over the next five minutes (13-12). 

• The Spartans found a groove the final three minutes of the first quarter, claiming the lead off a turnaround jumper from Gordon, followed by a pull up jumper from Barnes to establish some wiggle room (16-13). 

• Western Carolina closed out the first quarter with four more points while Upstate scored another three to ensure a lead going into the second quarter (19-18).  

Second Quarter: Upstate 30; Western Carolina 34 

• Upstate held the lead for the first three minutes of the second quarter, scoring four points until Western Carolina scored five points to make the game 23-23.  

• The Catamounts took the lead and outscored the Spartans 8-2 over three minutes forcing Upstate to trail 31-25.  

• In the final minutes of the first half, Upstate was able to cut Western Carolina's lead back down to four with one made free throw from Markham and three made free throws, plus a layup from West (34-30). 

Third Quarter: Upstate 48; Western Carolina 53 

• Upstate and Western Carolina traded off points as the Spartans started the third quarter with four points from Gordon and two from Reeves to combat the Catamounts' three consecutive three-pointers (43-36). 

• The following three minutes, the Catamounts extended their lead to nine points (48-39).  

• Despite the Spartans outscoring the Catamounts 9-5 in the final minutes of the third quarter, Upstate trailed 58-48 going into the final quarter.  

Fourth Quarter: Upstate 73; Western Carolina 64 

• Upstate started the final quarter strong with six points in the first two and half minutes to take the lead 54-53.  

• The Catamounts were able to battle back and make the game 58-58 with just over five minutes left to play.  

• Despite Western Carolina's effort to come back, Upstate was able to hold the Catamounts scoreless until the final two minutes of the game while also posting 11 points (69-58).  

• The final minutes saw six points for Western Carolina and four points for Upstate for a 73-64 road win for the visiting Spartans.  

Notable 

• Isabell West had scored a career-high 29 points as well as had a career-high 11 made field goals. 

• Zora Fray-Chinn scored a season-high seven points, surpassing her previous high of five set against North Florida. Fray-Chinn also scored a career-high three free throws.  

• AC Markham tied her season-high for rebounds (10) which she most recently set against Detroit Mercy.  

• This was Jeni Levine's third game of the season scoring in double figures while it was Isabell West's fifth.  

• Upstate set a new season-high for field goals made (28) and steals (13) as well as tied its season high for points scored (73) and rebounds (39). 

Up Next for the Spartans  
The Spartans will finish the week at home hosting Furman Sat. December 9 with a 4:30 p.m. tip off time.  

   
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.    
   

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