SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Defending its home floor for the first time during Big South Conference, USC Upstate men's basketball held off a pesky Presbyterian squad Wednesday evening, earning its first league victory 77-67 at the G.B. Hodge Center. With the win, the Spartans improved to 1-1 in league play and the team's winning streak on its home floor in the series with the Blue Hose to four.
 
Four Spartans finished the night in double-figures, the second straight game with four such scorers while Upstate fashioned a field goal percentage of 50.9, going 29-of-57 from the field. Wednesday's contest is the first in Big South play to see the Spartans fire greater than 50.0 percent from the field since Jan. 31, 2024, when they shot 52.5 percent against Presbyterian.
 
Freshman guard Mister Dean earned his team-high sixth 20-plus point scoring game, finishing the night two markers shy of his career-best, pouring in 23 points behind a 9-of-16 shooting performance. He supplemented his scoring total with eight rebounds in a bid for his first career double-double while adding a career-high four steals and career-high-tying two blocks.
 
Joining Dean in double-figures, junior forward Breylin Garcia and redshirt freshman guard Chico Johnson tallied 12 points apiece whereas redshirt sophomore guard Karmani Gregory totaled 10 markers. The trio combined to shoot 60.9 percent from the field, hitting 14 of 23 shots, including Gregory and Johnson combining to hit 50.0 percent from beyond the arc.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 77; Presbyterian 67
Records: USC Upstate (5-12; 1-1 Big South); Presbyterian (8-10; 1-2 Big South)
Location: G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Half

• Starting the game off strong, Breylin Garcia scored each of the Spartans' first four points as they went back and forth with the Blue Hose in the opening minutes. Neither side made consecutive scores until the 17:35 mark when Presbyterian hit a three before the sides returned to answering one another.
• Upstate's first scoring run came as Chico Johnson put the advantage back in the Spartans' hands, reeling off five straight points behind a layup and three just ahead of the under-12 media timeout. Regaining the lead just before the halfway mark of the period, Presbyterian notched five straight before Upstate fashioned its longest scoring run of the half, dropping nine consecutive markers for a lead it wouldn't surrender.
• Adding to the 9-0 run, the Spartans extended the stretch to 16-2 in favor of the home team, answering a Presbyterian bucket with the next seven points. The stretch grew as large as 18-4 with a driving layup from Karmani Gregory with 3:40 to play, giving him seven points in the stretch.
• The Blue Hose countered the lengthy scoring stretch by the Spartans with a 9-2 reversal, cutting the advantage to three with 1:56 remaining before the break. Upstate hit back-to-back field goals in response to the Presbyterian run before the Blue Hose added one more field goal, setting the halftime margin at five.

 
Second Half

• Adding to its jumper to end the opening half, Presbyterian spanned the break, hitting a free throw to begin the final half's scoring. Upstate held the Blue Hose without a field goal for over two minutes to begin the second stanza, outscoring its foe 7-4 between the charity toss and consecutive Presbyterian field goals in the period.
• Presbyterian answered with a slight 6-3 scoring advantage, trimming the Spartan lead to three—tied for the smallest the lead sat during the half. The Spartans' lone shot in the spurt proved crucial as Johnson knocked down a three to double the lead. Sparked by Johnson's three, Upstate crafted an 8-2 run, scoring five consecutive following the final Blue Hose bucket of the small 6-3 spurt, all from Mister Dean.
• After a Blue Hose three ended the 8-2 stretch, Upstate countered with its longest scoring run of the night, stringing a 10-0 scoring run together, growing the lead to its largest at 16. In the greater 18-5 run following Presbyterian cutting the deficit to three, Dean collected 12 of the 18 markers for the Spartans.
• Answering the Spartans' longest scoring run of the evening, Presbyterian fashioned its greatest scoring string with a 9-0 stretch. Growing a larger 17-4 lead, the Blue Hose responded to a pair of Upstate field goals with another eight points, slashing the lead to three with 1:52 to play. Carmelo  Adkins responded with a corner three in front of the Spartan bench to kickstart a 9-0 scoring run, allowing Upstate to end the game with 10 of the final 13 points.

 
Notable

• Shooting 50.9 percent (29-of-57) from the field against the Blue Hose, Upstate secured its seventh contest of the 2024-25 season shooting greater than 50.0 percent from the field, owning a 5-2 record in such games. The total marks the most in a season since 2022-23 when the Spartans shot 50.0 percent or greater in 13 games.
• Behind his 23 points, Mister Dean registered his sixth game scoring 20-plus points on the season, leading the Spartans. His six such games are the most by a Spartan since Jordan Gainey notched eight such contests in 2022-23.

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Continuing the team's two-game stretch at the Hodge, USC Upstate closes the second week of conference play by hosting Radford Saturday afternoon. Tip-off between the Spartans and Highlanders is set for 2 p.m. ET.
 
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