CHARLESTON, S.C. – The USC Upstate women's basketball program shifted to a 10-4 Big South record after a late 66-59 road loss to Charleston Southern on Wednesday night.  

Upstate was off to a strong start in Charleston as the Spartans outscored the Bucs 18-15 in the first quarter. Both teams scored seven points from the field, but it was Upstate's success from distance and success from the free throw line that gave the Spartans an edge. AC Markham, Rebekah Gordon, and Trinity Johnson all led Upstate through the first quarter with four points respectively. Johnson also led the steal in assists (2) and steals (3) while Dakota Reeves, Zora Fray-Chinn, and Gordon all collected one defensive rebound apiece. In the first quarter, the Spartans were able to find more success than the Bucs in scoring off turnover (10-4), second chances (3-2), and fast breaks (6-2). 

The second quarter saw another dominant 10 minutes for Upstate as the Spartans continued to battle the Bucs, surrendering the lead for a moment only to take it back and carry it through to halftime. Despite Charleston Southern going 7-15 from the field, Upstate was able to outscore the Bucs for the second straight quarter while holding them scoreless from distance and from the free throw line. Markham continued to have a solid offensive performance as she and Isabell West led the team to halftime with five points. West also led the team in rebounds with four while Jeni Levine had the lone steal of the quarter, and four Spartans were credited with assists. At the break, Markham sat with nine points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal. As a team, the Spartans went 41.9% from the field, 41.7% from the three-point arc, and 100.0% from the free throw line.  

Coming out of the break, Upstate struggled to find success getting to the basket. Johnson led the team through the third quarter with four points while Levine and West pitched in free throws as well. Johnson and West also led the team in rebounds with two apiece. Despite the low scoring in the third period, Upstate was able to outscore Charleston Southern off turnovers and on the fastbreak.  

In the final quarter, the Spartans brought the game within five points on multiple occasions but could not come back as the Bucs outscored them by one point. Of Charleston Southern's 20 points in the third quarter, nine of them came from the charity stripe. Reeves tallied six points for the Spartans in the final quarter while West was just behind her with four. Markham also contributed three points and led the team with five boards. The junior finished the game with 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal. West finished the night with nine rebounds, 10 points, and two assists.  

 
Game Information 
Score: USC Upstate 59; Charleston Southern 66 
Records: USC Upstate (15-12; 10-4 Big South) vs. Charleston Southern (10-16; 7-6 Big South)  
Location: Buccaneer Field House | Charleston, S.C.   

How It Happened: 

First Quarter: Upstate 18; Charleston Southern 15 

• After a near scoreless three minutes, the Spartans got on the board first and established a small lead (6-4). 

• Around the five-minute mark, Charleston Southern was able to tie the game, but its time with the lead was short lived as the Spartans stacked eight points to reclaim the lead (14-8). 

• In the final two minutes of the first quarter, CSU outscored Upstate but it was the Spartans that held the lead after the first 10 minutes (18-15). 

Second Quarter: Upstate 34; Charleston Southern 29 

• Upstate started the second quarter outscoring Charleston Southern 8-2 in the first three minutes (23-17). 

• The Buccaneers then went on a 10-point run to lead the game 27-26 but West was able to stop CSU's run with just over three minutes left in the quarter (28-27). 

• The final minute and change of the half saw six points for the Spartans compared to two points for the Bucs for a five-point lead for Upstate going into the break.  

Third Quarter: Upstate 40; Charleston Southern 46 

• Charleston Southern outscored Upstate 7-1 in the first few minutes of the second half to take the lead from the Spartans (36-25). 

• The Spartans stacked four points compared to the Bucs' two to take a one-point lead at the media timeout (39-38). 

• Following the media timeout, Upstate scored one final point in the third quarter while Charleston Southern tallied another eight points (46-40). 

Fourth Quarter: Upstate 59; Charleston Southern 66 

• The Spartans kept the Bucs' lead to a minimum as they outscored Charleston Southern 5-4 in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter (50-45). 

• Charleston Southern went on an eight-point run to make the game 58-45 before Upstate was able to add another five points to the board to bring the game within seven points (58-51). 

• The final four minutes saw eight points scored for Upstate and Charleston Southern respectively to finish the game 66-59 in favor of the hosting Buccaneers. 
   

Notable 

• AC Markham led the Spartans' offense with 12 points for her fourth game of the season scoring in double figures.  

• Trinity Johnson assisted Markham on offense with 11 points for her 13th game of the season scoring in double figures.  

• Johnson also had her 21st game of the season leading the team in assists with four against the Bucs.  

• Isabell West also was a top scorer against Charleston Southern with 10 points for her 16th game of the season scoring in double figures.  

• Upstate tied its season high for three-pointers made and attempted (9-23).  

• This is the first time Upstate has lost to Charleston Southern Jan. 22, 2022. 

Up Next for the Spartans  
USC Upstate women's basketball will play its final home game of the season on Saturday afternoon as the Eagles of Winthrop University come to the G.B. Hodge Center.  

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