CARROLLTON, Ga. - Taking the court for a non-conference game for the second part of the multi-team event, Upstate Men's Basketball traveled to Carrollton, Georgia taking on ASUN Opponent, University of West Georgia for Friday night action where the Wolves held off a second half comeback with a 72-64 final. 

The Spartans were led by Mason Bendinger adding his second consecutive 20+ point performance with 21 points, three rebounds, one steal while shooting 100 percent from the charity stripe. Carmelo Adkins added his sixth consecutive double figure scoring night with a 19 point performance shooting 5-for-15 from the field, 3-for-9 from beyond the arc, and 6-for-7 from the charity stripe. Learic Davis followed with seven points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Jafeth Martinez added six points, a new career high of 12 rebounds (eight offensive and four defensive), and four blocks. Tyler Smith led Upstate with five assists and three steals moving him to 20+ steals through seven games.  

West Georgia outdueled the Spartans on the glass with 48 rebounds (14 offensive and 34 defensive) compared to Upstate's 36 rebounds (15 offensive and 21 defensive). The Spartans edged past the Wolves with 24 bench points opposed to West Georgia's 20. Upstate capitalized from the turnover battle scoring 21 points off turnovers compared to West Georgia's six. The fastbreak pace held in favor of the Spartans with 18 to six. In the paint, the Wolves won the battle 42 to Upstate's 36. 

Game Information 

Score: West Georgia 72: USC Upstate 64 

Records: USC Upstate (3-4; 0-0 Big South) vs. West Georgia (4-2; 0-0 ASUN) 

Location: The Coliseum| Carrollton, Georgia 

How it Happened 

First Half 

• Upstate opened with an 8-0 run fueled by the paint presence from Karmani Gregory and Mason Bendinger. The Wolves responded with a 10-0 run using the mid-range area to take the lead at the 12:56 mark. 

• The back and forth battle began with Learic Davis splashing a three-pointer and West Georgia responding with two consecutive scores in the paint. Upstate regained the lead from a second chance opportunity with Kanye Jones scoring the contact layup. 

• Under the 10 minute mark, West Georgia used an 8-2 run to push their lead to 23-17. The Spartans responded with multiple shots at the charity stripe from Mason Bendinger and Carmelo Adkins. 

• Closing out the half, a mid-range jumper and three-pointer from the Wolves brought the score to 32-25 at the break. 

Second Half 

• The Wolves opened the first three minutes, building their lead to 11 following a triple, two free throws and a layup.  

• Upstate began find their way with two consecutive layups from Carmelo Adkins and Mason Bendinger. Learic Davis followed with a three-pointer cutting the deficit to 41-37.  

• The Wolves remain unfazed continuing their offensive approach scoring on the following four offensive possessions moving their lead to 50-39 at the 11:55 mark. 

• The Spartans continued showing fight with Jafeth Martinez scoring on a layup followed by Carmelo Adkins converting on the following five free throws bringing West Georgia's lead back to single digits. Under the 10 minute mark, West Georgia's lead was cut to 56-53 following a three-pointer from Isaiah Skinner. 

• West Georgia continued to find answers scoring two consecutive layups in the paint followed by two free throws moving their lead to 64-53. 

• Under the two minute mark, Mason Bendinger and Carmelo Adkins converted on two big shots bringing the score to 68-62. Tyler Smith followed up with his quick hands swiping at the ball for a steal and finishing with a layup cutting the Wolves' lead to four. West Georgia went 4-for-4 on the following free throws closing out the game with a 72-64 final. 

Notable 

• Mason Bendinger's 21-point performance added his second consecutive 20-point game, followed by his sixth double figure scoring out of seven games played. 

• Carmelo Adkins' 19 point performance moves his season average to 16.4 point per game with his sixth consecutive double figure game. 

• Jafeth Martinez's 12 rebounds and four blocks added his new season and career high with his previous being 10 rebounds and three blocks. Martinez moves to 13 blocks on the season through seven games. 

• Tyler Smith has added a steal through all seven games including six games with two-plus steals or more moving his season total to 22. 

Up next for the Spartans  

Following the Friday matchup at West Georgia, Upstate Men's Basketball returns home for a Tuesday night matchup against North Carolina Central at the G.B. Hodge Center at 7:00 P.M., also airing on ESPN+.  

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