MOREHEAD, Ky. – Playing back-to-back days for the first time during the 2024-25 campaign, USC Upstate women's basketball closed the Morehead State MTE Saturday afternoon, offering a second-half comeback attempt before falling 78-64 to the host Eagles. The Spartans fought back behind a strong third quarter, cutting a lead that had grown as large as 26 in the first half to nine with six minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
 
Offering the best scoring performance of her career and best by a Spartan since the 2017-18 season, redshirt sophomore guard Cassie Gallagher poured in a career-best 35 points behind 13-of-26 shooting (7-of-11 from three). Her 13 made field goals and seven made threes stand as career-high totals for Gallagher in the Big South Conference's lone 30-plus point scoring game this season.
 
The other Spartan joining Gallagher in double-figures, graduate student forward Aijah Palmore notched her first double-double in an Upstate uniform, tallying 10 points and 10 rebounds. Redshirt junior forward Vera Söderblom corralled seven boards as Upstate edged Morehead State on the glass 39-38.
 
Game Information
Score: Morehead State 78; USC Upstate 64
Records: USC Upstate (2-5; 0-0 Big South); Morehead State (2-3; 0-0 OVC)
Location: Johnson Arena | Morehead, Ky.
 
How It Happened
First Quarter

• Jumping out of the gate quickly, Morehead State notched the first 13 points of the game before an Emma Blair layup for the Spartans ended the game's longest scoring run. The Eagles responded with a 5-0 scoring stretch before Zoe Richardson laid one home off the block.
• Following another 5-0 Morehead State scoring run, Cassie Gallagher drained a three in transition, her first of 35 points on the afternoon. The triple stoked a 6-2 scoring stretch in favor of the Spartans to close the quarter with Upstate holding the Eagles without a field goal for the stanza's final three minutes.

 
Second Quarter

• Pushing the Spartans' scoring stretch to 8-2, Gallagher opened the second frame with a pull-up jumper. Morehead State countered with a 6-0 scoring run before Aijah Palmore scored the next four markers for Upstate.
• Closing the second half, Gallagher scored the final 12 points for Upstate, knocking down a pair of triples in the quarter's final 30 seconds. She finished the half with 17 of her 35 points.

 
Third Quarter

• Beginning its second-half comeback attempt, Upstate tallied the first four points of the second half as a Zora Fray-Chinn layup preceded a pair of free throws from Vera Söderblom. The quarter saw a back-and-forth scoring effort from the two sides through the frame's media timeout.
• Gallagher fuelled a strong finish to the third quarter, posting the final 12 points of the stanza for Upstate. In the final two minutes, she fashioned a personal 8-0 scoring—the longest of the day for the Spartans—helping cut the deficit to 10 with 58 seconds remaining in the quarter.

 
Fourth Quarter

• Rising up from the corner, Aubrie Kierscht knocked down her lone triple of the game to begin the final quarter's scoring, trimming the lead to nine for the first time. As the game moved towards the final media stoppage, a traditional three-point conversion from Aijah Palmore again worked the deficit to nine with 6:06 to play.
• Morehead State responded to the Spartans' comeback attempt with its final 5-0 scoring run, expanding the advantage back to double-digits. The game concluded with back-and-forth scoring with Gallagher, the game's high scorer, making the final bucket, a trey with 26 seconds remaining.

 
Notable

• Dropping 35 points Saturday against Morehead State, Cassie Gallagher posted the Big South Conference's first 30-plus point scoring game of the season. Her total marks the best single-game total for a Spartan since Nov. 28, 2018, when Brianna Lewis poured in 35 versus South Carolina State.
• Recording 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Spartans versus the Eagles, Aijah Palmore secured Upstate's first double-double of the season. It's the first Spartan double-double since Rebekah Gordon's 11-point, 10-rebound game versus Bellarmine on Nov. 30, 2024.

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Upon returning from its two-game excursion in the Bluegrass State, USC Upstate faces one final home game before the Thanksgiving holiday. The Spartans host Montreat on Nov. 25, seeing a 4 p.m. ET tip-off as part of a men's and women's basketball doubleheader.
 
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