RADFORD, Va. – For the second straight game, USC Upstate men's basketball put itself in a position to win as it battled back from another halftime deficit to tie the game in the final seconds, doing so Saturday with 10.5 ticks remaining. However, it was not déjà vu for the Spartans as they succumbed at the final buzzer as Radford prevailed 64-61 thanks to a heavily contested corner three from DaQuan Smith.
 
As was the case Wednesday evening, Upstate battled its way back from a double-digit deficit, erasing a lead that grew to as large as 12 on multiple occasions. In the first half, the Spartans built their comeback on the defense, forcing 10 turnovers while swiping eight steals. Upstate used its shooting in the second half, shooting 42.4 percent from the field in the half compared to 29.2 percent in the first.
 
Taking over in the second half and leading the comeback, redshirt junior guard Trae Broadnax tallied 16 of his game-high 20 markers in the second half as he added three rebounds, three assists, and one steal on the afternoon. Graduate student guard Nick Alves joined Broadnax in double-figures as he notched his first career double-double behind 14 points and a career-best and game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Game Information
Score: Radford 64; USC Upstate 61
Records: USC Upstate (6—12; 1-4 Big South); Radford (12-8; 2-3 Big South)
Location: Dedmon Center | Radford, Va.
 
How It Happened
First Half

• Taking the opening tap, the Spartans scored before anyone in the Dedmon Center could blink as Jalen Breazeale found Justin Bailey knifing to the basket for an easy two. Radford, however, composed itself and held Upstate to six consecutive misses—including four from deep—as it raced out to a lead behind a 14-0 scoring run.
• Ahmir Langlais snapped the long scoring run as he hit a layup among traffic before Floyd Rideau Jr. answered a Highlander field goal with a three from the top of the key to trim the deficit back to single digits at the under-12 media stoppage. Despite seeing the lead grow back to 12 out of the timeout, Bailey knocked down a three as Upstate continued its battle.
• Cutting the Radford advantage from double-figures, Upstate hit four consecutive free throws spanning the under-eight stoppage to work the deficit back to single-digits, a place it would stay for the remainder of the half. Into the final media of the first period, the Spartans stayed just ahead of the Highlanders, scoring seven points from the free throw line to just five total points from Radford while swiping three steals.
• Out of the final stoppage, Upstate hung its hat on the defensive end, holding Radford without a made field goal and forcing two turnovers. The Spartans outscored the Highlanders 7-2 down the stretch—ceding just two points at the charity stripe—to trim the halftime deficit to three as Miguel Ayesa sniped a three from the corner in the final seconds.

 
Second Half

• With the halftime lead sitting at three in favor of the hosts, Radford opened the second half's scoring with a pair of free throws before a left-handed hook shot from Patrick Iriel answered the score. The Highlanders opened the half on a 6-2 run as they grew the lead to seven.
• Continuing to claw their way back, the Spartans countered Radford's 6-2 run with a 6-3 run of its own as Nick Alves, Brezeale, and Trae Broadnax knocked down field goals for the Spartans. The Highlanders snapped the scoring run and extended the lead once again with back-to-back triples, growing the lead back to 10.
• Answering the consecutive three-pointers from the Highlanders, Upstate battled back by stringing together a 7-0 scoring run led by five points from Broadnax. However, Radford answered with another two consecutive triples to grow the lead back to nine before Braodnax went on a personal 5-0 run to keep up the fight.
• After seeing both teams go blow-for-blow with one another heading into the final two minutes, Upstate concluded its fight back as it outscored Radford 9-2 to tie the game at 61 with 10 seconds remaining as Alves completed his double-double with a rebound and putback before converting the and-one attempt at the line. Coming back down the floor with a chance at the final shot, the Highlanders got off the final attempt as DaQuan Smith knocked down a heavily contested corner three at the buzzer for the win.

 
Notable

• Crashing the boards to the tune of a career-high 10 rebounds, Nick Alves secured his first career double-double, adding 14 points to his rebounding total. His double-double is the third by a Spartan this season and breaks up a stretch of four straight double-doubles by a Spartan recorded by Ahmir Langlais.
• Leading all scorers Saturday against Radford, Trae Broadnax notched his third 20-plus point scoring effort of the season and his second in his last three games. The game gives him four career 20-plus point scoring games as he's strung together eight straight games scoring in double-figures.
• Hitting five threes versus Radford, Upstate improved its streak of consecutive games with at least one made three-pointer to 890 games, a streak dating back to the 1994-95 season. The streak includes each of the Spartans' 521 games at the NCAA Division I level (2007-pres.).

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Coming off one of the team's longest Big South road trips of the year, Upstate returns to the G.B. Hodge Center for a meeting with High Point, a team atop the conference standings. The Spartans and Panthers tip off at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday.
 
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