SPARTANBURG, S.C. – If at first the game—or the breaks—go against you, don't let up… put on more steam. Finding a way to win, overcoming long odds placed by negative turnover margin and wide difference in shot attempts, USC Upstate women's basketball never shied away, trusting its process and knocking Longwood from the ranks of the Big South Conference unbeaten with a 46-45 win Saturday afternoon.
 
Despite surrendering 30 turnovers and giving up 30 more field goal attempts than they took, the Spartans rode their strong defensive effort and efficient shooting to victory. Behind its defense, Upstate held the Lancers to 27.5 percent (19-of-69) shooting from the field, not yielding a made three-pointer—Longwood went 0-for-9 from long range—while shooting 48.7 percent (19-of-39) on its own end.
 
Fighting back from a first-quarter deficit that grew as large as six, the Spartans battled back, staking a two-point lead at the break before carrying said advantage throughout the second half, surrendering it just once over the final 20 minutes.
 
Redshirt freshman guard Cassie Gallagher paced the Spartans' scoring with her 12^th double-figure scoring game of the season, pouring in 11 points. Three additional Spartans, senior forward Rebekah Gordon, redshirt sophomore forward Vera Soderblom, and senior forward AC Markham, scored seven or more points, posting eight, eight, and seven markers, respectively.
 
Soderblom's eight points tied her career-high while she supplemented her scoring total with five rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and two steals. Gordon complimented her scoring with a game-high 13 rebounds, leading Upstate to a +8 margin on the glass with her fifth double-digit rebound game of the season. Distributing the basketball, Upstate totaled 16 assists on 19 made field goals with freshman guard Olivia Forster and redshirt freshman guard Lele Tanuvasa each passing out a career-high three assists, leading the Spartans.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 46; Longwood 45
Records: USC Upstate (5-15; 2-5 Big South); Longwood (15-6; 6-1 Big South)
Location: G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Quarter

• Withstanding a pair of Longwood shot attempts on its first defensive possession, Upstate came down the floor to score on its opening possession as Cassie Gallagher knocked down a three off an assist from Rebekah Gordon. Gordon followed with a bucket of her own, pushing the Spartans' run to 5-0 to begin the game.
• Following Upstate's run, the Lancers closed the period by outscoring the Spartans 15-4, posting scoring runs of 6-0 and 7-0 in the stretch. Vera Soderblom hit both Upstate's field goals to snap the Longwood scoring runs, the second trimming the Lancers' largest lead (six points).

 
Second Quarter

• Battling back from a six-point deficit following the opening quarter, Upstate outpaced Longwood 13-10 over the first seven minutes of the new period, being the only team to hit consecutive field goals—both coming from Rebekah Gordon—in the span. The biggest shot in the stretch came from Olivia Forster as she buried a three from the top of the key, to pull the Spartans within one.
• Closing the half, Upstate notched its second 5-0 scoring run, beginning and ending the half with such runs, to regain the advantage. At the buzzer, Lele Tanuvasa laid one home following a long up-court pass from Forster, delivering a 27-25 lead at the break.

 
Third Quarter

• In what proved the lowest-scoring quarter of the day, Longwood barely edged the Spartans in scoring (eight to seven) in the 15-point stanza. The Lancers posted the lone instance of consecutive scoring, a short 4-0 run, but Gallagher hit the lone triple of the quarter, helping Upstate to a one-point advantage at the quarter break.

 
Fourth Quarter

• Coming after a six-plus minute stretch of back-and-forth scoring, AC Markham delivered what proved the game's biggest bucket, putting home a layup with mere tenths remaining on the shot clock off a high-low feed from Soderblom, drawing the and-one, finishing the Spartans' third and final 5-0 scoring run.
• Over the last two minutes of regulation, the Spartans withstood a final 6-0 scoring run from the Lancers. With five seconds remaining and Longwood unable to advance the ball into the frontcourt via timeout, Upstate held the Lancers without a shot attempt on their final attempt to advance up the floor, closing out the victory.

 
Notable

• With its victory Saturday, Upstate pushes its winning streak in its series with Longwood to three games, tying its longest winning streak against the Lancers. The win also knots the series at eight games apiece.
• The lone Spartan scoring in double-figures, Cassie Gallagher poured in 11 points for her team-leading 12^th double-figure scoring game.
• Pulling in 13 rebounds, Rebekah Gordon secured her team-leading fifth double-digit rebound game of the season.

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Upon conclusion of the team's second multi-game road swing in league play, USC Upstate returns to the G.B. Hodge Center Saturday afternoon. The Spartans host Longwood at 4 p.m. ET.
 
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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.