SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Beginning a new season as Big South Conference play awaits USC Upstate women's basketball, the Spartans trek to the Lowcountry Wednesday for a New Year's Eve clash against Charleston Southern. The 17^th meeting between the Spartans and Buccaneers, a series led nine wins to seven by Upstate, features a 3 p.m. ET tip-off.
 
Wednesday's Big South opener marks the first time in a non-COVID-adjusted schedule the Spartans have begun league play on the road since joining the conference ahead of the 2018-19 season—Upstate opened on the road in the COVID-adjusted 2020-21 season, a season featuring doubleheaders against league foes. The game also marks the third time Upstate and Charleston Southern have opened league play against one another, coincidentally the lone league openers to take place before New Year's Day, not including the 2020-21 campaign.
 
Wednesday's Matchup
December 31, 2025 | 3:00 p.m.
USC Upstate (5-9; 0-0 Big South) vs. Charleston Southern (2-11; 0-0 Big South)
Buccaneer Fieldhouse | Charleston, S.C.
 
TV: ESPN+ | Via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN App
Weekly Coaches Interview: Catch head coach Jason Williams weekly on Fox Sports Spartanburg every Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. ET.
 
How They Stack Up
Records: USC Upstate (5-9; 0-0 Big South); Charleston Southern (2-11; 0-0 Big South)
Series: USC Upstate leads 9-7
Last Five Meetings: Feb. 22, 2025 (CHSO 59; UPST 49); Jan. 29, 2025 (CHSO 62; UPST 58); Feb. 21, 2024 (CHSO 66; UPST 59); Jan. 13, 2024 (UPST 59; CHSO 58); March 1, 2023 (UPST 65; CHSO 48)
 
Players to Watch
USC Upstate: Entering Big South Conference play, the Spartans enter as the lone club to feature two players shooting greater than 40.0 percent from beyond the arc, as redshirt sophomore guard Cassie Gallagher and redshirt junior guard Aubrie Kierscht shoot 45.1 percent and 44.8 percent, respectively, from three. Gallagher leads the Spartans and ranks third in the Big South in scoring, averaging 14.8 points per contest, scoring in double-figures in nine of Upstate's 14 games this year. Kierscht enters Wednesday's game just shy of double-figure scoring, averaging 9.6 points per game.
 
Charleston Southern: Tied for the Big South lead in three-pointers made, redshirt junior Caelan Ellis totals 28 made three-pointers this season. She leads the league in three-pointers made per game, averaging 3.0 per game, hitting at least three triples in three consecutive games. Ellis averages 11.8 points per game while shooting 34.6 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three this season.
 
Up Next for the Spartans
In the team's first contest of the new year, USC Upstate returns to the G.B. Hodge Center for the first time in 2026 Saturday. The Spartans host High Point, beginning a two-game homestand against the Panthers with a 4 p.m. ET tip.
 
Connect with the Spartans 
Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics 
Twitter | @UpstateWBB | @UpstateSpartans 
Instagram | @UpstateWBB | @UpstateSpartans 
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans
 
INVEST IN CHAMPIONS - Join the Upstate Athletic Fund (UAF) and enjoy enhanced benefits for your support of all USC Upstate programs! Make your gift today, click here!