ASHEVILLE, N.C. – USC Upstate women's basketball finished Saturday's game in North Carolina with a heartbreaking 68-65 loss to UNC Asheville despite posting 41 points in the second half. Trinity Johnson led the Spartans with a season-high 19 points while Rebekah Gordon had her eighth game scoring in double-figures with 13 points.  

The Spartans and the Bulldogs seemed evenly matched as the first quarter finished with the Spartans trailing by only one point. Freshman Cali Levine commanded the quarter for Upstate as she 100% for field goals and 100% for three-pointers to record five points. Gordon and AC Markham contributed four points each to Upstate's 18 points in the first quarter. Both Gordon and Markham also recorded two rebounds while Jeni Levine was credited with three assists.  

In the second quarter, Upstate found itself trailing as the Spartans couldn't quite find the basket. Zora Fray-Chinn and Gordon contributed points in the second quarter in an attempt to keep in the game close while J. Levine led with two rebounds. The Spartans went into the break trailing 36-24 with one more half to turn the game around.  

Coming out of the break, Upstate was ready for a dog fight. The Spartans posted a season-high 21 points in the third quarter, compared to the 17 the Bulldogs posted, to bring the game within eight points. Johnson found her rhythm during the break as she went 3-3 for field goals and 5-6 for free throws to contribute 11 points to the Spartans total. Gordon continued to contribute points with another five in the third quarter along with two rebounds and one steal.  

The Spartans continued their fight through the fourth quarter, scoring another 20 points to try to battle back enough for a win. Upstate even went on a seven-point run with only 40 seconds remaining in the game, to make the score 66-60. An additional five-point run brought the game within two points with a mere 15 seconds remaining. UNC Asheville was able to make one final free throw, forcing the Spartans to have to make a three pointer to send the game into overtime. Upstate came up just short at the buzzer and left Asheville with a 8-14 overall record and 5-6 record in Big South play.  

 
Game Information 
Score: USC Upstate 65; UNC Asheville 68
Records: USC Upstate (8-14, 5-6 Big South) vs. UNC Asheville (8-15, 4-8 Big South)  

Kimmel Arena | Asheville, N.C. 

How It Happened:   

First Quarter:   

• UNC Asheville got on the board first with a three-pointer, but Jeni Levine wasted little time getting Upstate's first points with a pull up jumper.  

• Upstate took the lead for the first time with seven minutes left in the quarter but the Bulldogs were quick to tie the game at seven points each. 

• With five minutes left in the quarter the two teams were once again tied at nine apiece.  

• The Spartans and the Bulldogs continued scoring back and forth as the game remained tied at 16 points with 1:18 left in the quarter.  

• A final three-pointer from UNC Asheville forced the Spartans to go into the second quarter trailing 19-18.  

Second Quarter: 

• Upstate scored first in the second quarter with a free throw from Johnson.  

• Asheville responded to the made free throw with back-to-back jumpers.  

• The next two minutes Upstate posted three points compared to UNC Asheville's four, making the game 27-22 in favor of the hosting Bulldogs.  

• Asheville posted another seven points to make the game 34-22 with 1:18 left in the first half.  

• A pair of made free throws for both Upstate and UNC Asheville kept the Spartans trailing 36-24 at halftime.  

Third Quarter: 

• The Spartans started the third quarter posting three points to chip away at the Bulldogs' lead.  

• Upstate another five points compared to UNC Asheville's seven to make the game 43-33 with just under four minutes left in the third quarter.  

• Eight points from Johnson helped the Spartans cut the Bulldogs' lead to seven with under a minute third left in the quarter.  

• The third quarter finished with another four points for Upstate and another five points for UNC Asheville to make the game 53-45 going into the final quarter.  

Fourth Quarter:  

• Roldan and Geraci kicked off the fourth quarter with a layup and a made free throw to which UNC Asheville responded with another five points.  

• One free throw made for each team made the game 59-49 with seven minutes left to play.  

• The next four minutes brought four more points for Upstate along with an additional seven for UNC Asheville which left the game 66-53 in favor of the Bulldogs with 1:53 left in the game. 

• Geraci kicked off a seven-point run to close the Bulldogs' lead down to six points with only 40 seconds left on the clock.  

• Asheville made one final free throw compared to Upstate's final six points to finish the game 68-65 with the win going to the home team.  
     

Notable 

• Trinity Johnson posted a season-high 19 points, surpassing her previous season-high of 18 points which she set against Gardner-Webb (1/25/23). 

• This was Johnson's fourth game of the season in double-figures.  

• Johnson also set a new season-high for free throws made with nine, surpassing her previous high of seven set against Longwood (1/14/23). 

• Rebekah Gordon had her eighth game of the season scoring in double-figures (13) with her most recent game in double-figures being Wednesday night against Campbell (2/1/23).  

• Gordon also had her 13th game of the season recording five or more rebounds.  

Up Next for the Spartans 

Upstate stays on the road to play Charleston Southern on Wednesday evening before playing Winthrop in back-to-back contests on Saturday at home and Sunday in Rock Hill. 

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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