SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Returning to the court for a Saturday afternoon showdown, Upstate Men's Basketball battled with Western Carolina where six Spartans were in double figures as the Spartans wiped away the lead from the Catamounts going under the 11-minute mark not surrendering the lead for the rest of the game to win 78-67. 

The Spartans were led with six players in double figures with Mason Bendinger and Karmani Gregory each adding 15 points apiece, Carmelo Adkins adding 14 points, Learic Davis contributing with 11 points and Isaiah Skinner adding 10 points off the bench. In the rebounding column, Learic Davis was shy of a double-double leading with nine rebounds. Mason Bendinger added his season-high grabbing six boards followed by Coen Collier adding five rebounds. Jafeth Martinez and Tyler Smith each added four rebounds helping Upstate total to 40 rebounds (seven offensive and 33 defensive) resulting in the Spartans to win the battle with the Catamounts where they had 33 (nine offensive and 25 defensive). Karmani Gregory led with six assists followed by Tyler Smith adding four assists. Overall, Upstate shot 45 percen from the field while defending Western Carolina to just 34 percent from the field. From the charity stripe, Western Carolina edged past the Spartans shooting 82 percent compared to Upstate's 80 percent.   

Game Information 

Score: USC Upstate 78: Western Carolina 67 

Records: USC Upstate (6-5; 0-0 Big South) vs. Western Carolina (4-5; 0-0 SoCon) 

Location: G.B. Hodge Center| Spartanburg, South Carolina 

How it Happened 

First Half 

• The Spartans opened with Learic Davis leading the way with a dunk opening the scoring column for Upstate. Three free throws followed by a three-pointer from Isaiah Skinner pushed Upstate to 10-4 lead at the 15 minute mark.  

• As the half continued, Carmelo Adkins began to find his footing displaying his three-level scoring with a three-pointer, mid range jumper and a layup pushing Upstate's lead to eight. 

• Under the 10 minute mark, Karmani Gregory connected with Coen Collier for an and-one layup then followed with a three-pointer stretching their lead to 30-19 at the 7:35 mark. Western Carolina responded with a 10-3 run cutting Upstate's lead to 33-29 under five minutes. 

• Mason Bendinger scored the final basket for the Spartans but a dunk and a triple from the Catamounts brought the first half to a close with Upstate leading 40-38. 

Second Half 

• Opening the second half, Learic Davis and Karmani Gregory opened with a tip-in layup followed by a three-pointer bringing the score to 45-40.  

• Under the 15 minute mark, Western Carolina began to find their way to the charity stripe cutting Upstate's lead to one. Following up on the next possession, Western Carolina took their first lead of the night with a three-pointer from Justin Johnson to lead 52-50.  

• Upstate wiped the lead away with a three-pointer from Tyler Smith followed by an and-one layup from Karmani Gregory. 

• The energy for Upstate picked up with another three-pointer from Isaiah Skinner followed by Learic Davis cutting to the rim for an easy dunk which were both assisted by Karmani Gregory. 

• The lead grew to 10 with Learic Davis adding a three-pointer and Mason Bendinger powering past the defender for a layup at the 1:47 mark. Upstate finished the game going 8-for-8 in the final minute for a 78-67 final. 

Notable 

• Learic Davis was shy of a double-double with 11 points and tying his season high with nine rebounds. 

• Isaiah Skinner added his second double figure game with 10 points off the bench along with adding one block. 

• Karmani Gregory added a new-season high with six assists, his previous being five assists against North Carolina Central. 

• Mason Bendinger grabbed his new season high with six rebounds, his previous being five against Coastal Carolina. 

Up next for the Spartans  

Following Saturday afternoon action at home, Upstate Men's Basketball travels to Chapel Hill for a non-conference showdown with ACC Opponent, #16 University of North Carolina on Saturday, December 13th live on the CW at 2:00 P.M.  

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