ASHEVILLE, N.C. – On the road for the first time in the new year and the first time in the team's Big South Conference slate, USC Upstate men's basketball dropped a tough decision in the team's league opener, falling in the Ingles I-26 Rivalry Series Wednesday evening against UNC Asheville.
 
Leading a trio of double-figure scorers for the Spartans, graduate student guard Nick Alves posted his second consecutive 15-plus point scoring game, leading the way with 16 points—including 12 in the second half—behind a 7-of-9 shooting performance. Joining Alves in double-figures were redshirt junior guard Trae Broadnax and sophomore guard Justin Bailey who added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
 
Game Information
Score: UNC Asheville 95; USC Upstate 67
Records: USC Upstate (5-9; 0-1 Big South); UNC Asheville (9-7; 1-0 Big South)
Location: Kimmel Arena | Asheville, N.C.
 
How It Happened
First Half

• Behind driving layups from Trae Broadnax and Nick Alves, Upstate jumped out to an early four-point advantage to start the night. However, UNC Asheville responded quickly, putting together a 9-0 run to force an Upstate timeout before extending the run to 11 straight points.
• Snapping the long Bulldog run, Jalen Breazeale hit a driving layup as he worked himself into the scoring column. Heading into the under-12 media timeout, Upstate held with UNC Asheville as the two sides were nearly identical in scoring with Miguel Ayesa and Floyd Rideau Jr. knocking down threes to keep the deficit in single digits.
• Spanning a Jordyn Surratt layup, Asheville grew its lead to double figures, outscoring the Spartans to the tune of a 12-2 scoring run. Justin Bailey drained a three from the wing to snap the scoring stretch and set up a stretch that saw Upstate outscoring the Bulldogs into the under-four media stoppage.
• Bookending the final media timeout of the half, Upstate crafted its longest scoring run of the half with a 7-0 scoring stretch. Closing out the half, the Spartans outscored the Bulldogs 10-4 with Broadnax scoring six of Upstate's final 10 points heading into the locker room.

 
Second Half

• Following up on the team's layup to end the half, UNC Asheville opened the second half with four straight points, pushing their scoring run that spanned the break to 6-0. The Bulldogs outscored the Spartans 8-4 out of the locker room, holding the Spartans without a field goal for nearly four minutes before Alves hit a driving layup.
• Turning the tables on the Bulldogs, Upstate held its opponent without a field goal for nearly four minutes as Alves continued his scoring stretch for the Spartans, knifing to the basket and hitting another driving layup. UNC Asheville, however, broke out of its near four-minute stretch without a field goal, embarking on a 13-0 scoring run to grow its lead.
• Fighting its way back, Upstate again held UNC Asheville without a field goal for nearly four minutes as it trimmed the deficit. Spanning the Bulldogs' field goal to snap the second four-minute stretch, the Spartans fashioned an 8-2 scoring run, heading into the under-eight media stoppage.
• Heading into and coming out of the under-four media timeout, UNC Asheville strung together an 8-0 scoring run as it grew its lead to 30-plus points. The Spartans closed the half with a pair of baskets from Patrick Iriel.

 
Notable

• Coming off a career-high 18 points against Coker, Nick Alves led the Spartans with 16 points Wednesday evening, equaling or surpassing his career-high coming into the season (16 points) for the second straight game. Wednesday's game marked the sixth 15-plus point game of his career, giving him two such games in each of his seasons at Upstate.
• Earning his first career start against UNC Asheville, Patrick Iriel continue his hot high-efficiency shooting, going 2-for-3 from the field versus the Bulldogs. Despite missing his first field goal attempt—snapping a streak of nine straight made field goals—he still boasts a field goal percentage greater than 90 percent.
• Hitting six threes against the Bulldogs, Upstate improved its streak of consecutive games with at least one made three-pointer to 886 games, a streak dating back to the 1994-95 season. The streak includes each of the Spartans' 519 games at the NCAA Division I level (2007-pres.).

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Continuing Big South play and heading home for the first time during conference play, Upstate hosts Winthrop in its home conference opener for the second straight season. The Spartans and Eagles tangle Saturday with tip-off set for 4 p.m. ET.
 
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