Farmville, Va. - Returning to road play in the Big South, USC Upstate Men's Basketball battled with Longwood for an afternoon matchup in the Joan Perry Brock Center. USC Upstate opened the first half with huge momentum as Carmelo Adkins opened with a fastbreak three-pointer to score the first basket. The Spartans continued to attack the Lancers by going on an 11-0 run to lead by nine. The first half momentum was highlighted with the Spartans pushing the pace while forcing the Lancers to take uncomfortable shots causing Longwood to shoot 18 percent from beyond the arc through the opening half. Longwood shook off the rust in the second half to outscore USC Upstate 50-22 carrying their momentum to a final score of 80-54. 

Karmani Gregory opened the first half with nine points and had some assistance from the bench with Nic Book following with six points. The Spartans outdueled the Lancers in the first half shooting 48 percent overall compared to Longwood's 39 percent. Andrew McConnell tied his season high leading the Spartan scoring with 12 Points while securing his season and career high with six rebounds, along with his career high with four free throws made. Karmani Gregory followed with his second consecutive double digit game with 11 Points. 

Game Information 

Score: USC Upstate 54; Longwood 80

Records: USC Upstate (5-17; 1-6 Big South); Longwood (16-6; 5-2 Big South) 

Location: Joan Perry Brock Center | Farmville, Va. 

How it Happened 

First Half 

• USC Upstate opened the first half with an 11-2 run with Carmelo Adkins jump starting the run on a Fastbreak three. The Spartan lead grew with USC Upstate using their balanced attack with attacking the paint with two consecutive baskets in the lane from Karmani Gregory and Mister Dean.  

• The lead for the Spartans grew to 13 with USC Upstate stretching the floor with Chico Johnson and Brit Harris scoring the following six points with two consecutive three-pointers. The ball movement for the Spartans continued to put Longwood in a bind as Mister Dean connected with Nic Book to finish the play over two defenders for a dunk.  

• The Lancers began to find their rhythm on the defensive end by forcing turnovers to cut their deficit to single digits under the final three minutes. Longwood continued to add pressure in the backcourt to slow down the sets from USC Upstate halting the Spartans' momentum. 

• Following a fastbreak dunk from the Lancers, Karmani Gregory displayed his speed to catch Longwood sleeping on defense for a fastbreak layup. The Lancers put the momentum back on their side as the Lancers ended the half on a 10-2 run to trail 32-30. 

Second Half 

• USC Upstate opened the second half using their attack through the lane as their first four of six points were in the paint. Longwood began to push the pace in the second half with ball movement trading baskets with the Spartans which resulted in a corner three-pointer to take their first lead of the game. 

• A 15-2 run from the Lancers pushed the matchup from a two-point deficit to Longwood leading 46-38. Longwood forced turnovers and finished on the other end drawing fouls or finding the open man for shots beyond the arc.  

• Following a 53-38 lead from Longwood, Andrew McConnell's quick release from three and two made shots from the charity stripe halted the run for Longwood. The Lancers continued to keep USC Upstate away from making a comeback with their inside out attack building their lead to 13. 

• Andrew McConnell continued to fire away from deep to help the Spartans look for a comeback, but the Lancers were able to hold USC Upstate to their final basket at the 1:38 mark. 

Notable 

• Andrew McConnell tied his season high with 12 Points while going three-for-seven from the field, two-for-five from three, and his career high with four made free throws.  

• Karmani Gregory was the second leading scorer with 11 Points for his second double digit game of the week averaging 14.5Points through two games.  

Up Next for the Spartans 

After a trip on the road, the Spartans return to Spartanburg for some home cooking in midweek action as USC Upstate hosts Charleston Southern at the G.B. Hodge Center Wednesday, January 29th with a tip scheduled for 6:00 P.M. 

Ingles I-26 Rivalry Food Drive: Support Miracle Hill Ministries in Spartanburg by donating to the Ingles I-26 Rivalry Series Food Drive through Wednesday, February 12.  All donations stay local and donors may scan the QR code on donation bins for a free ticket to an upcoming Upstate basketball game.  For donation locations and more information, click here.  

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