ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Closing out the regular season iteration of the Ingles I-26 Rivalry Series, USC Upstate women's basketball completed its first season sweep of a Big South Conference opponent, returning home to the Hub City with a 60-51 victory over UNC Asheville Wednesday at Kimmel Arena.
 
Leading the Spartans to their second consecutive league victory, junior guard Jeni Levine paced the team in scoring for the third straight game—the longest streak of games as Upstate's leading scorer since Isabella Geraci from Nov. 7-14, 2022—as she poured in a career-high 23 points. She finished her night 9-of-14 from the field, 1-of-2 from beyond the arc, and 5-of-6 from the free throw line while supplementing her scoring total with four assists, two steals, and one rebound.
 
Redshirt freshman guard Cassie Gallagher joined Levine in double-figures, ending one point shy of her career-high with 17 markers. Of her five made field goals, four came from distance, her third game this season hitting four or more three-pointers. Nearing double-figures in both scoring and rebounding, senior forward Rebekah Gordon chipped in eight points and eight rebounds for the Spartans.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 60; UNC Asheville 51
Records: USC Upstate (7-18; 4-8 Big South); UNC Asheville (2-22; 0-11 Big South)
Location: Kimmel Arena | Asheville, N.C.
 
How It Happened
First Quarter

• Not fretting as UNC Asheville took the first lead of the day behind an opening-possession three-pointer, USC Upstate wasted little time wrestling the lead from the Bulldogs as Cassie Gallagher knocked down a pair of triples, giving the Spartans a lead they'd not relinquish. Jeni Levine kept the Spartans' three-point streak going, hitting one of her own as Upstate first three field goals came from distance.
• Answering the game's final tie (10-10 with 4:04 to play in the quarter), Upstate reeled off its longest scoring run of the quarter with six straight points, seeing buckets from Lele Tanuvasa, Vera Soderblom, and Levine. AC Markham pushed the scoring stretch to 8-2 as the period waned with her jumper answering an Asheville basket.

 
Second Quarter

• Growing the team's advantage to double-figures for the first time, Upstate began the second stanza on a 7-0 scoring run, the team's longest run of the first half. Gracie Barnes and Ava Miller joined Levine and Gallagher in comprising the run. Asheville closed the half on a 6-0 scoring run, trimming the Spartan lead to four at the break.

 
Third Quarter

• Beginning the new half as they did the second quarter, the Spartans fashioned the game's longest scoring run with eight straight markers, spurred by triples from Rebekah Gordon and Gallagher. Upstate built its scoring stretch to 13-1 as a 5-0 run followed a Bulldog free throw. The stretch grew the advantage to 16 points, the largest lead of the night.

 
Fourth Quarter

• Snapping a 5-0 Bulldog run to open the final stanza, Gordon knocked down her second triple, her first of two field goals to open the quarter and keep Upstate's advantage north of the double-digit mark.
• Fighting back, Asheville crafted a 7-2 scoring stretch, cutting its disadvantage to nine with 1:43 to play in regulation. Keeping its advantage at the nine-point mark, Upstate matched the Bulldogs in scoring over the final 45 seconds, scoring all six from the charity stripe.

 
Notable

• Leading the Spartans in scoring for the third straight game, Jeni Levine owns the longest streak of games as the team's leading scorer since the 2022-23 season. Her streak marks the longest since Isabella Geraci led Upstate in scoring in each of the first three contests of the 2022-23 campaign.
• Levine's 24 points Wednesday are the most in a single game by a Spartan this season and the most scored by a Spartan since Dec. 5, 2023, when Isabell West dropped 29 points against Western Carolina.

 
Up Next for the Spartans
As part of USC Upstate Homecoming festivities and beginning the team's longest homestand during Big South Conference play, Upstate returns to the G.B. Hodge Center Saturday. The Spartans host Gardner-Webb for a 12 p.m. ET tip-off as part of a men's and women's basketball doubleheader.
 
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