SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Closing out the back end of a doubleheader and culminating a busy Homecoming Saturday on campus, USC Upstate men's basketball battled Saturday afternoon as it sought another second-half comeback before seeing the attempt fall just short at the final buzzer in a 73-65 setback at the G.B. Hodge Center.
 
Leading all scorers, redshirt junior guard Trae Broadnax poured in 18 points, shooting 7-of-15 from the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc as his three made three-pointers tied a career-high while his 18 markers stands as the sixth time he's scored 18 or more points in a Big South game this season. Adding three assists to his scoring total, he hit the 100-assist plateau on the nose, becoming the sixth Spartan to do so in the Division I era (2007-pres.).
 
Sophomore guard Justin Bailey and redshirt senior forward Ahmir Langlais joined Broadnax in double-figures for Upstate, dropping 11 and 10 markers, respectively. Complementing his scoring total, Langlais corralled a game-high 12 rebounds, securing his fourth double-double of the season, the fifth of his career.
 
Game Information
Score: Gardner-Webb 73; USC Upstate 65
Records: USC Upstate (9-17; 4-9 Big South); Gardner-Webb (13-14; 8-4 Big South)
Location: G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Half

• Opening the game, each of the first five made field goals came from beyond the arc as Gardner-Webb opened the scoring with a trey before Jordyn Surratt answered with one of his own for the Spartans. Floyd Rideau Jr. and Trae Broadnax bookended a Runnin' Bulldog three, giving Upstate a 9-6 advantage at the under-16 timeout.
• Out of the timeout, the Spartans scored the game's first non-three-point field goal as Ahmir Langlais laid one in before the two sides again traded threes as Upstate built a five-point lead. Gardner-Webb countered the largest lead to that point with its longest scoring run of the day, scoring nine straight points to stake a four-point lead.
• Upping their scoring stretch to a 15-4 margin, the Runnin' Bulldogs built their largest lead of the opening period to six with 9:14 to play in the half. Upstate battled back, stringing together five made field goals into and spanning the under-eight media before tying the game at 25 with a jumper from Broadnax with 6:09 to play in the half.
• Holding a one-point margin at the under-four media stoppage, Upstate allowed just one Gardner-Webb field goal for the remainder of the half, outscoring its opposition 10-5 over the final four minutes before the break. The Spartans closed the first period with consecutive field goals, the second a wing three from Thomas Sheida to build a six-point lead at the break.

 
Second Half

• Gardner-Webb opened the new half with consecutive field goals of its own, trimming the lead to one before Justin Bailey hit a driving layup to propel the lead back to three. The Runnin' Bulldogs answered with two more field goals to retake the lead, but Patrick Iriel hit the putback to knot things at 40 with 15:49 to play.
• Countering the Iriel bucket, the Runnin' Bulldogs crafted their longest scoring run of the second stanza, posting eight consecutive points to regain a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Spartans snapped the run with a free throw and turn-around jumper before Gardner-Webb tacked on five more points to push the lead to double-figures for the first time.
• Into the under-eight media stoppage, Gardner-Webb continued adding to its scoring stretch, pushing the margin of the run to 17-5 at the timeout. Upstate began chipping away at the deficit out of the stoppage, but the Runnin' Bulldogs kept pace with the Spartans, holding the advantage between 10 and 13 points heading into the final minute of the game.
• Following a step-back jumper from Broadnax, Upstate knocked down consecutive triples, one from Broadnax and one from Miguel Ayesa, to cut the lead to as few as five with 21 seconds remaining. Gardner-Webb, however, iced the game with three makes from the charity stripe, to close out an eight-point victory.

 
Notable

• Passing out three assists Saturday afternoon, Trae Broadnax hit 100 helpers on the season, becoming the sixth Spartan to reach the 100-assist plateau during the program's Division I era (2007-pres.). He is the first to hit the 100-assist mark for the Spartans since Dalvin White (121) did so during the 2021-22 season.
• Posting 10 points and 12 rebounds against Gardner-Webb, Ahmir Langlais secured the fifth double-double of his career with his fourth double-double of the season—his first since Jan. 6, 2024, versus Winthrop. His fifth double-double moves ties him with Nick Schneiders for the eighth-most career double-doubles by a Spartan in the D1 era.
• Langlais' four double-doubles during the 2023-24 season mark the most in a single season for a Spartan since Malik Moore tallied six double-doubles during the 2018-19 season.
• Hitting seven threes Saturday versus Gardner-Webb, Upstate improved its streak of consecutive games with at least one made-three pointer to 898 games, a streak dating back to the 1994-95 season. The stretch also includes each of the Spartans' 529 games at the NCAA Division I level (2007-pres.).

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Coming off Homecoming Saturday, Upstate continues its longest homestand during Big South play, returning to the G.B. Hodge Center Wednesday. The Spartans host Charleston Southern for a 7 p.m. ET tip to close the backend of the homestand.
 
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