SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Looking to defend its home court and make it two wins in a row at the G.B. Hodge Center and extend its winning streak at home against High Point, USC Upstate men's basketball fell short in its quest as a strong close from the Panthers to the first half proved the final margin in a 78-67 setback Wednesday night.
 
Leading all Spartan scorers, redshirt junior guard Trae Broadnax claimed his fourth straight game scoring greater than 15 points and his ninth consecutive double-figure scoring game as he poured in 18 points behind 7-of-15 shooting while also corralling a team-best seven rebounds. Graduate student guard Nick Alves continued his hot start to Big South Conference play as he chipped in 14 points, going 5-of-5 from the field to finish just behind Broadnax in the scoring ledger.
 
Completing the trio of double-figure scorers for Upstate, redshirt senior forward Ahmir Langlais tallied 12 markers, finishing the evening shooting 6-of-10 from the field. Just shy of double-figures, junior forward Patrick Iriel tied a career-high with eight points, going 4-of-4 from the floor.
 
Game Information
Score: High Point 78; USC Upstate 67
Records: USC Upstate (6-13; 1-5 Big South); High Point (17-4; 6-0 Big South)
Location: G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Half

• Standing pat on the defensive end after High Point controlled the opening tap, Upstate broke open the game's scoring as Trae Broadnax worked his way downhill to earn the hoop-and-the-harm, converting a three-point play to give the Spartans the first lead. The Panthers responded with six straight markers to regain the lead before each Patrick Iriel and Nick Alves hit field goals to give the Spartans the lead at the first media stoppage.
• Out of the timeout, both sides answered one another as the game moved toward the under-12 timeout with the Panthers owning a two-point advantage at the break, hitting a bucket with 12 minutes to play to answer a Floyd Rideau Jr. step-back that tied the game. As the game neared the halfway point of the period, Upstate built a 6-2 scoring run to retake the lead as Iriel scored four of the six points, including a slam off a feed from Jalen Brezeale to cap the stretch.
• High Point answered Upstate's scoring stretch with a 7-2 scoring stretch into the under-eight stoppage as the lead swung back in the Panthers' favor following Iriel's dunk. The Spartans, however, rebutted, fighting back to knot the game at 25 with five-and-a-half minutes to play in the half.
• Retorting against a 6-2 scoring stretch that pushed High Point back ahead, Upstate again battled back to tie the contest as consecutive buckets from Ahmir Langlais and Broadnax evened things up at 31 with 3:34 remaining before the break. The Panthers closed the half on a 9-0 scoring run to carry the advantage into the locker room.

 
Second Half

• Out of the locker room, the Spartans snapped the Panthers' longest scoring run as Justin Bailey curled off a screen to knock down a mid-range jumper. Reacting to the Upstate bucket, High Point embarked on a 13-4 scoring stretch over the next few minutes, pushing the lead to as many as 16, achieving the game's largest lead with 13:06 to play.
• Fighting back against its largest deficit of the night, Upstate strung together its lengthiest scoring run of the night, stringing together seven consecutive markers, five straight from Broadnax before Jordyn Surratt punctuated the run with a two-handed jam. The Spartans pushed the scoring stretch to 9-2 as it brought the Panther lead back to single-digits.
• Growing the lead back to 16, High Point turned the tables on the Spartans, putting together a 9-2 scoring run of its own spanning the under-eight media timeout. Upstate, however, countered with a 6-0 scoring run to continue chipping away at the lead with Broadnax, Alves, and Langlais providing two points apiece in the run.
• Over the final six minutes of the night, the Panthers stayed just ahead of the Spartans, outscoring Upstate 14-13 over the span to keep the deficit in the nine to 13-point range. Alves led all Upstate scorers over the game's final six minutes with six tallies in the scorebook to close the game.

 
Notable

• Leading Upstate with 18 points against High Point, Trae Broadnax secured his ninth consecutive double-figure scoring game and his fourth straight game scoring 15 or more points. The streak of 15-plus point games marks the longest stretch of his career while standing as the lone times he's scored 15 or more points in consecutive games.
• Entering the night ranked second in the Big South in field goal percentage during league play, Nick Alves retook the top spot in the category versus the Panthers as he finished the night shooting 5-of-5 from the field. The game marked his first perfect shooting night during conference play and extended his streak of games making at least four field goals to seven straight games—including all six Big South Conference games.
• Another Spartan who finished the night perfect from the field versus High Point, Patrick Iriel notched a career-high scoring total behind 4-of-4 shooting on the night. He opened the season hitting his first nine field goals—all in non-conference play—and has knocked down 18-of-20 attempts from the floor this season, sporting an impressive field goal percentage of 90.0 percent.
• Hitting three three-pointers versus High Point, Upstate improved its streak of consecutive games with at least one made three-pointer to 891 games, a streak dating back to the 1994-95 season. The streak includes each of the Spartans' 522 games at the NCAA Division I level (2007-pres.).

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Following Wednesday night's contest, Upstate begins its lone two-game road swing during Big South Conference play Saturday as it faces regional rival Gardner-Webb in a men's and women's basketball header against the Spartans' league travel partner. The Spartans and Runnin' Bulldogs are set for a 4 p.m. ET tip.
 
Join us for the Spartan Winter Golf Classic supporting the Upstate Athletic Fund
The USC Upstate Athletic Fund will host the Spartan Winter Golf Classic on Saturday, February 3, 2024, at Woodfin Ridge Golf Club in Inman, S.C. The Spartan Winter Golf Classic is a signature event on the Upstate Athletic Fund (UAF) calendar with proceeds directly benefiting Spartan athletics and the on-field efforts of its student-athletes. Registration and sponsorship information is now available online, click here for complete details.
 
USC Upstate sponsoring I-26 Rivalry Canned Food Drive presented by Ingles
Help the Spartans score three bonus points in the yearlong rivalry series against UNC Asheville, the Ingles I-26 Rivalry, by donating canned and non-perishable food items when you attend home events through Saturday, February 10! Donations are accepted at the Hodge Center every day including gamedays and look for more Ingles store drop-off locations and special incentives for donations on our @UpstateSpartans social media accounts! All donations support Miracle Hill Ministries in Spartanburg.
 
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