SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Back inside the G.B. Hodge Center for the first time in two games and the second time this season, USC Upstate women's basketball looked to remain unbeaten at home, accomplishing the task behind a 78-69 victory Monday evening over South Carolina State. The win extended the Spartans' series advantage to 10-2, marking the fifth straight win over the Bulldogs while upholding a perfect 6-0 series mark in games played in the Hub City.
 
Stoking a bench that outscored its opponent by a 43-7 margin, redshirt junior guard Aubrie Kierscht provided the biggest spark, catching fire to the tune of a career-high 26 points, career-high eight field goals made, and career-high six three-pointers made. Her 26 markers are the second-best scoring output by a Big South player this season and are the most points scored by a Spartan since Isabell West dropped 29 against Western Carolina on Dec. 5, 2023.
 
Among the Upstate starters, redshirt sophomore guard Cassie Gallagher notched 18 points, her third double-figure scoring contest, registering all 18 in the second half, including 11 in the game's final quarter. Redshirt freshman forward Madison Miller ended just shy of double-figures, recording eight markers behind 3-of-4 shooting from the field.
 
As a team, the Spartans concluded the night shooting 53.3 percent (24-of-45) from the floor, the best single-game mark since Nov. 25, 2023, when shooting 54.2 percent (26-of-48) versus North Florida. Upstate knocked down 10 threes Monday, the second time hitting double-digit triples in a game this season, doing so behind a 50.0 shooting percentage.
 
On the glass, redshirt junior forward Vera Söderblom pulled in 10 rebounds, securing herself as the Spartans' first double-digit rebounder in a game this season, the second such game of her career.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 78; South Carolina State 69
Records: USC Upstate (2-3; 0-0 Big South); South Carolina State (2-2; 0-0 MEAC)
Location: G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Quarter

• Responding to the opening basket scored by South Carolina State, the Spartans notched the next five points, doing so behind a Gwen Jenkins jumper and a Zora Fray-Chinn triple, the first made three-pointer for the Spartans on the night. The Bulldogs rallied with their longest scoring run of the evening, a 7-0 stretch to regain the lead.
• Cutting the South Carolina State advantage into the first media stoppage, Aubrie Kierscht drained her first basket, a trey, before Aijah Palmore used a traditional three-point play spanning the timeout, trimming the Spartans' disadvantage to two. Upstate fashioned a 6-0 scoring run to close the half, retaking the lead it wouldn't relinquish the remainder of the contest as Jenkins delivered the lead with a three-pointer with 39 seconds remaining in the stanza.

 
Second Quarter

• Adding to its scoring run, creating the team's longest run of the evening, Upstate tallied the first five markers of the new frame. Vera Söderblom scored the first points with a layup before Kierscht knocked down her second triple of the night.
• The three from Kierscht marked the first of her 14 points in the quarter. Following Söderblom's layup, Kierscht scored the Spartans' next 13 points before Madison Miller laid one home with 1:08 remaining in the stanza.

 
Third Quarter

• Trimming the Upstate advantage to one, South Carolina State opened the second half with a triple. The Spartans responded with a Söderblom layup and Cassie Gallagher three. The duo helped expand the Upstate lead, combining to score nine points to South Carolina State's two.
• Growing the lead to 10 at the end of the third quarter, Upstate closed the frame on an 11-5 scoring stretch, getting six points from Kierscht in the stretch. She bookended the Spartan run with triples, including her final with 16 ticks left in the stanza.

 
Fourth Quarter

• Holding Upstate without a made field goal for the first three minutes of the final frame, South Carolina State outscored the Spartans 6-1 before a Lexi Castator three from the corner put momentum back with the Spartans. The Bulldogs answered with a 5-0 run, trimming the Upstate lead to three with 4:47 to play.
• However, Gallagher answered the South Carolina State run with a four-point stretch of her own, fuelling a larger 7-0 scoring run for the Spartans. Down the stretch, Gallagher helped Upstate ice the game, knocking down six free throws in the game's final minute.

 
Notable

• Scoring a career-high 26 points as she played 30-minutes in a game for the first time as a Spartan, Aubrie Kierscht's scoring total marks the second-highest scoring game by a Big South player this season. Her career-high-tying six three-pointers are the most makes from beyond the arc by a Big South player in a game this year.
• Kierscht's scoring total marks the highest-scoring game by a Spartan since Dec. 5, 2023, when Isabell West notched 29 points versus Western Carolina. The game is the second 20-plus point scoring game by a Spartan this season, following Cassie Gallagher's 20-point night at Georgia on Nov. 10.
• Scoring 78 points Monday, the Spartans' scoring total marked the highest-scoring game by the program versus a Division I opponent since dropping 78 markers versus Gardner-Webb on Jan. 27, 2024.

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Heading back out on the road, USC Upstate treks back to the Bluegrass State for a pair of matchups at the team's lone multi-team event of the season. The Spartans face Marshall and Morehead State at the Morehead State MTE with tip-off times set for 12 p.m. ET next Friday against the Thundering Herd and 10 a.m. ET next Saturday versus the Eagles.
 
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