SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Taking the court after a midweek bye, Upstate Men's Basketball hosted Winthrop for Saturday afternoon in Big South action where the Eagles rode the wave of a hot first half to carry to the second half with a 71-50 final. 

Breylin Garcia led with 16 points off the bench shooting 100 percent from the field (7-for-7) while leading Upstate with six rebounds and adding one block. Carmelo Adkins followed with 14 points, shooting 4-for-12 from the field and 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Chico Johnson added five points, three rebounds, one steal, and one assist. Mason Bendinger also added five points and one rebound. Jafeth Martinez led Upstate with four blocks, marking his fourth game with four or more blocks. Tyler Smith led the Spartans with four steals, marking his sixth game with three steals or more. Upstate outdueled the Eagles with 34 points in the paint opposed to Winthrop's 24. The Eagles' second chance points paid dividends with 14 compared to the Spartans' 10. On the boards, Winthrop outdueled the Spartans with 49 rebounds (18 offensive and 31 defensive) compared to Upstate's 31 (seven offensive and 24 defensive). The battle of bench play belonged to the Spartans with 39 bench points to Winthrop's 12. 

Game Information 

Score: Winthrop 71: USC Upstate 50 

Records: USC Upstate (8-10; 0-3 Big South) vs. Winthrop (11-8; 3-1 Big South) 

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

How it Happened 

First Half 

• Mason Bendinger opened the scoring column, converting a three-pointer putting the Spartans ahead. Winthrop responded with a 20-5 run pushing their lead to 15 under 10-minute mark.  

• The hot start from beyond the arc pushed Winthrop through the first half as the Eagles used their pace and ball movement, extending the lead to 31-13. 

• Multiple layups from Carmelo Adkins, Jafeth Martinez and Tyler Smith helped the Spartans score the final three baskets of the first half being held to 19. 

Second Half 

• Winthrop picked up where they left off with the first two triples of the half from Kareem Roizer.  

• Breylin Garcia entered the fray with two consecutive layups followed by Isaiah Skinner converting on a floater. 

• Chico Johnson and Breylin Garcia continued giving the Spartans second half energy with an and-one layup from Johnson followed by three consecutive layups from Garcia. 

• Under the 10 minute mark, a three-pointer from Chico Johnson cut into Winthrop's lead with a 61-44 score. Winthrop halted the run for the Spartans holding Upstate to just four more points with a 71-50 final. 

Notable 

• Breylin Garcia's 16 points added a new season-high and one point shy from his career-high, while marking his first double figure performance since January 22, 2025 vs. High Point. 

• Jafeth Martinez's four-block performance marked his fourth game with four or more blocks in a game. 

• Tyler Smith's four-steal performance marked his sixth game with three steals or more. 

Up next for the Spartans  

Following the quick trip back home to Hub City, Upstate Men's Basketball travels to the Charleston, South Carolina for midweek action on the road taking on Charleston Southern on Wednesday, January 14 at 7:00 P.M. Eastern time.  

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