SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Celebrating its seniors as they hit the floor at the G.B. Hodge Center for the penultimate time this season and in their careers, USC Upstate women's basketball fell short of extending its winning streak to four as its second-half comeback stalled in a 59-49 setback Saturday afternoon versus Charleston Southern.
 
Leading the Spartans in scoring, the team's two seniors forwards AC Markham and Rebekah Gordon notched their second and ninth double-figure scoring games, respectively, of the 2024-25 season. Pouring in a game and season-high 14 points, Markham finished the day shooting 5-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc with her three makes from deep a career-best. Gordon ended the day with 11 markers, supplementing her scoring with a team-high-tying five rebounds.
 
Nearing double-figures, junior guard Jeni Levine registered nine points, finishing 4-of-8 from the field. Freshman forward Ava Miller tied Gordon with five rebounds while freshman guard Gwen Jenkins passed out three assists.
 
Game Information
Score: Charleston Southern 59; USC Upstate 49
Records: USC Upstate (8-19; 5-9 Big South); Charleston Southern (13-15; 9-6 Big South)
Location: G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Quarter

• Taking the opening tap, Charleston Southern opened the game's scoring quickly with a fastbreak layup. Upstate answered the opening bucket as AC Markham knocked down a jumper with an assist from Rebekah Gordon. The Buccaneers responded with an 8-0 scoring run: the team's longest of the game.
• Closing the gap, the Spartans knocked down a pair of triples as Markham and Jeni Levine hit from deep. Cassie Gallagher and Ava Miller followed a Charleston Southern scoring stretch with consecutive field goals, attempting to cut the deficit further before the Buccaneers hit to free throws to close the quarter and up the advantage to five.

 
Second Quarter

• Opening the second quarter, Vera Soderblom laid one home to trim the Spartans' disadvantage back to three. The Buccaneers, however, countered with a 7-0 scoring run, pushing their lead to double-figures for the first time. Closing the period, Soderblom and Gordon sandwiched a Charleston Southern basket to cut the lead to eight at the break.

 
Third Quarter

• Answering the first field goal of the new half, Gordon and Levine went back-to-back with layups, trimming the deficit to six. Charleston Southern followed with a second 8-0 scoring run, pushing its lead to 14, the largest of the game thus far.
• The two sides alternated scoring over the final four-plus minutes of the stanza with a three with 26 seconds to play in the frame from Markham allowing Upstate to outscore the Buccaneers in the stretch.

 
Fourth Quarter

• Spanning the quarter break, Upstate fashioned its longest scoring run of the afternoon, reeling off 10 straight points, including the first seven markers of the final period, trimming the disadvantage to four. Charleston Southern countered with five straight points.
• The Buccaneers offered another lengthy scoring run in the final minutes of the game, crafting a 7-0 scoring run to push the lead to its largest of the day at 15 points. Upstate cut into the lead over the final two minutes, trimming it to 10 at the final buzzer.

 
Notable

• On Senior Night, the team's lone four-year Spartan AC Markham scored a season-high 14 points, her second double-figure scoring game of the year. Her total ended three points shy of her career-best, a total secured versus Charleston Southern on Feb. 8, 2023.

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Wrapping the team's final homestand, Upstate's penultimate game of the regular season sees the Spartans welcome High Point to the G.B. Hodge Center. Tip-off between Upstate and the Panthers commences at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday.
 
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