CONWAY, S.C. – In the final contest of the team's season-long four-game road swing, USC Upstate men's basketball couldn't overcome a hot-shooting second half from its host, dropping a 73-51 decision Saturday afternoon against Coastal Carolina.
 
For the second straight game, junior guard Brit Harris marshalled the Spartans' offense behind a team-high 12 points as he stood as one of two Upstate players in double-figures. He finished the afternoon shooting 6-of-12 from the field, supplementing his scoring total with two assists and two steals.
 
Redshirt sophomore guard Karmani Gregory ended the game a point shy of Harris for the team lead, posting 11 markers behind a 5-of-13 shooting performance. He turned in a pair of steals and an assist, complementing his scoring. Overall, nine of the 11 Spartans to appear in the game scored with freshman forward Nic Book and freshman guard Carmelo Adkins just shy of double-figures with eight and seven points, respectively.
 
Game Information
Score: Coastal Carolina 73; USC Upstate 51
Records: USC Upstate (2-8; 0-0 Big South); Coastal Carolina (3-4; 0-0 Sun Belt)
Location: HTC Center | Conway, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Half

• Taking the opening tap, USC Upstate wasted little time beginning the day's scoring as Karmani Gregory sank the game's first jumper. Breylin Garcia followed him with a layup on the Spartans' next possession, marking the first four points of the day. Over the first three minutes, Upstate built an 8-4 advantage as Chico Johnson and Garcia added jumpers.
• Countering the Spartans' largest lead of the afternoon, Coastal Carolina reeled off a 7-0 scoring run spanning the under-16 media stoppage, taking the lead for the first time. As Upstate dug into the deficit, the Chanticleers responded, keeping themselves just ahead into the under-eight media stoppage.
• Spanning the break, Coastal Carolina offered another 7-0 scoring run, building its largest lead of the first half—eight points. Battling back, Upstate notched an 8-3 stretch to close the half as a Chanticleer three split the stretch, providing the halftime margin.

 
Second Half

• Building upon its momentum from the close of the first half, Upstate began the second half with a 4-1 advantage, tying the game at 30 with 18:36 to play. Countering the Chanticleers jump back to the lead, Harris led a four-point Spartan swing to regain the advantage.
• Following the game's final deadlock—36-36 with 16:25 remaining—Coastal Carolina retook the advantage behind a 6-0 scoring run before the Spartans pulled back within two with a four-point scoring spurt. The Chanticleers responded to Upstate's consecutive points with the game's largest scoring run, a 12-0 stretch.
• Adding to its 12-0 stretch, Coastal Carolina fashioned a 23-4 scoring stretch, holding the Spartans to just a pair of field goals over a seven-minute stretch of the second half. Over the final five minutes of the game,  the Spartans answered the Chanticleers to the tune of an 8-7 scoring stretch as five of the Spartans' seven points came from the free throw line.

 
Notable

• For the first time in the Spartans' Division I era (2007-pres.) and the first time since the 1994-95 season, USC Upstate finished a game without a made three-point field goal. Saturday's game snapped a streak of 911 overall games and 542 games at the NCAA D1 level.

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Breaking up a stretch of six of seven games away from home, USC Upstate returns to the G.B. Hodge Center Wednesday against Brevard. The Spartans and Tornados see tip-off set for 7 p.m. ET.
 
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