JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Playing on consecutive days for the first time since the 2022-23 season, USC Upstate men's basketball completed its portion of the ETSU MTE Saturday evening, dropping a neutral site contest against Queens in a 98-74 decision at Freedom Hall in Johnson City, Tenn—the home of the 2025 Big South men's basketball Championship.
 
Reaching double-figures for the second time in the 2024 season, junior forward Breylin Garcia poured in a career-high 17 points, pacing a trio of double-figure scoring Spartans against the Royals. He crafted his scoring total behind a career-best (min. five made field goals) field goal percentage, shooting 70.0 percent from the field with a 7-of-10 performance.
 
Adding 12 points apiece, freshman guard Carmelo Adkins and redshirt sophomore guard Karmani Gregory joined Garcia in double-figures. Crafting his total, Adkins finished the night shooting 5-of-8 from the field, totaling 10 of his 12 markers in the second half, making five of his seven field goal attempts in the final stanza.
 
Game Information
Score: Queens 98; USC Upstate 74
Records: USC Upstate (2-6; 0-0 Big South); Queens (3-3; 0-0 ASUN)
Location: Freedom Hall | Johnson City, Tenn.
 
How It Happened
First Half

• Using its defense to set the tone early, Upstate turned two consecutive Queens turnovers into points, jumping out to an early four-point advantage. Building on their defense, the Spartans added another forced turnover they converted to points and entered the first media timeout off a 10-0 scoring run spurred by three-pointers from Brit Harris and Isaiah Skinner.
• Providing its response to the Spartans' longest scoring spurt of the first half, Queens offered a 9-0 scoring run to trim the deficit. A three from Chico Johnson snapped the run, but the Royals upped their scoring stretch to 18-5, fighting back to gain the lead for the first time with 11:31 to play in the period.
• Regaining the lead for Upstate, Daniel Helterhoff crafted a personal 5-0 scoring run, hitting a layup and trey in successive possessions. The stretch started the back-and-forth trend of the first half as neither side gained much ground with the lead, seeing the game tied at 37 into the under-four media stoppage.
• Closing the half, Queens embarked on a 13-3 scoring stretch to build its advantage heading into the halftime locker room. A dunk from Mister Dean and a free throw make from Carmelo Adkins busted up the Royals' run, a stretch fueled by three makes from distance.

 
Second Half

• Opening the new period, both sides played even into the under-16 media timeout, scoring six points apiece behind a made field goal and four made free throws. The Spartans began the scoring in the new half with a pair of makes from the charity stripe before Queens reeled off a 6-0 scoring run followed by another pair of free throws from Upstate into the stoppage.
• Spanning the media timeout, Upstate fashioned the half's longest scoring stretch, an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to six—the lowest it sat during the second half. Four of the eight markers came from the charity stripe with Dean and Garcia notching the field goals in the stretch.
• Answering the Spartans' longest second-half scoring run, Queens offered its own 8-0 scoring run, spurred by a pair of threes and a dunk. The Royals pushed the scoring stretch to 17-4, expanding the lead toward the 20-point mark out of the under-12 media. Adkins broke up the scoring run with both of Upstate's made field goals.
• Keeping the deficit from reaching 20-plus points, Andrew McConnell knocked down a three to trim the deficit before Karmani Gregory scored four straight for the Spartans, further cutting the deficit. The Royals responded with a 10-3 scoring stretch, growing the lead to 20-plus for the first time.

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Coming off the team's two-game slate at the ETSU MTE, USC Upstate continues its season-long four-game stretch away from the G.B. Hodge Center as it travels to Iowa next Tuesday. Tip-off between the Spartans and Hawkeyes is set for 8 p.m. ET.
 
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