SPARTANBURG, S.C. – USC Upstate women's basketball came up big in its final home game of the season with a 61-56 comeback victory over Presbyterian on Wednesday night. Trinity Johnson scored a career-high 21 points over the Blue Hose, while Rebekah Gordon (14) and Isabella Geraci (10) contributed solid points as well.  

Upstate claimed the first points of the game before Presbyterian went on an 11-point run to take the lead from the Spartans. Upstate battled back to bring the game within four points at the end of the first quarter. Johnson started the game hot contributing six of Upstate's 11 points in the first quarter as well as one assist and two steals.  

The Spartans continued to push on scoring six points to start the second quarter to take the lead for the first time with just over seven minutes left in the half. Presbyterian scored five points to take the lead before Upstate finished the quarter with a seven-point run including one final three pointer from Trinity Johnson to give Upstate the lead before halftime. Gordon contributed six points in the quarter to help Upstate outscore Presbyterian 13-6. Upstate took advantage of its scoring opportunities going 5-13 from the field, 2-5 from the three-point arc, and 1-2 for free throws.  

Coming out of the halftime break, Upstate got pushed back on its heels as Presbyterian went on a nine-point run to take the lead and get a six-point cushion. Upstate was able to battle back and take the lead with just under six minutes remaining. The two teams continued to duke it out, but it was Presbyterian that would hold the lead at the end of the quarter. Geraci led the Spartans offense in the third quarter with six points while Markham and Johnson had two rebounds each.  

Upstate continued to trail through the final quarter until it was able to take the lead for the final time with three and a half minutes left. The Spartans reached a game-high lead of seven points within the closing seconds of the game. Johnson finished the game strong with four rebounds and eight points in the final quarter while Markham tallied five points and Gordon had four. As a team, Upstate went 61.5% from the field (8-13) compared to Presbyterian that went 25.0% (4-16) in the final quarter. 

 
Game Information 
Score: USC Upstate 61; Presbyterian 56 
Records: USC Upstate (10-18, 7-10 Big South) vs. Presbyterian (12-16, 8-9 Big South)    

G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.  

How It Happened:    

First Quarter:   

• Upstate started the game with a three-pointer out of the gate from Jeni Levine.  

• Presbyterian went on an 11-point run before the media timeout caused a pause in play.  

• Coming out of the media time out Upstate was quick to find the basket with a driving layup as was Presbyterian with a three pointer to make the game 14-5 in favor of the Blue Hose.  

• The final two minutes of the quarter saw six points for Upstate compared to Presbyterian's one to finish the quarter with the Spartans trailing by four (15-11).  

Second Quarter:  

• Upstate started the second quarter with a six-point run to take the lead from the Blue Hose (17-15). 

• Presbyterian responded with five points to make the game 20-17.  

• A four-minute dry spell would keep both teams scoreless until Gordon made a free throw to break the scoring drought.  

• In the final minute of the half, Gordon sank a three-pointer to reclaim the lead for Upstate, just before a made free throw from Presbyterian (21-21).  

• Johnson hit a three from distance to help Upstate go into half time with the lead (24-21).  

Third Quarter:  

• The Blue Hose came out of the half and put away seven points to retake the lead and make the game 28-24. 

• Following the media timeout, Presbyterian made a layup just before Upstate went on a seven-point run to make the game 31-30 and force the Blue Hose to trail once again.  

• In the next two minutes Upstate outscored Presbyterian 5-2 which maintained the Spartans four-point lead.  

• With three minutes left in the quarter, Presbyterian was able to tie the game 38-38.  

• The final minutes of the quarter Upstate was primarily on defense as the Blue Hose scored another seven points, forcing the Spartans to trail as the score read 45-38.  

Fourth Quarter:   

• The first two minutes of the fourth quarter, Upstate outscored Presbyterian 3-2 but continued to trail 47-41 at the media timeout.  

• The game went scoreless for two minutes until Fray-Chinn hit a jumper which was followed by a Jeni Levine layup. Presbyterian was able to quickly get a layup to keep some distance from the Spartans (49-45). 

• Upstate continued to outscore Presbyterian with eight points compared to the Blue Hose three. The Spartans reclaimed the lead with a three which was followed by a layup with three minutes left (55-52). 

• In the final two minutes, Upstate posted another six points compared to Presbyterian's four which led to a 61-56 comeback win for Upstate. 
      

Notable 

• Trinity Johnson scored a career-high 21 points tonight surpassing her previous high of 19 that she scored against UNC Asheville (2/8/23).  

• This was Johnson's sixth game this season scoring in double figures with the 21 she scored tonight. 

• This was Gordon's 14th game scoring in double-figures with the 14 she scored tonight.  

• Gordon has scored in double-figures in seven of Upstate's last eight games (Longwood, Winthrop, Charleston Southern, UNC Asheville, Campbell, High Point, Presbyterian). 

• Isabella Geraci had her 12th game scoring in double-figures with the 10 she scored tonight.  

• The last time Upstate had three or more Spartans score in double-figures was against UNC Asheville (2/8/23).  

Up Next for the Spartans 

Upstate will finish the regular season with one final game against Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs on Saturday afternoon.  

CHEER ON THE SPARTANS AT THE HODGE 
USC Upstate is offering a variety of ways for fans to watch Upstate Basketball this season! Tickets can be purchased through ticketreturn.com and options include courtside seats, season packages, two new mini-plan offerings, group packages, and individual game tickets. Click here to order your tickets.  

Support Our Women's Basketball Team in the Play4Kay Free Throw Challenge 

Our team is proud to support the Kay Yow Cancer Fund by joining the 2023 Play4Kay National Free Throw Challenge! You can support our team by making a pledge for every free throw we make during the month of February or by making a one-time flat donation! Donate Here.  

 
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