Aubrie Kierscht Floater vs. UNC Asheville 2Q 2026 - RF
Ryan Frye
50
USC Upstate USCU 6-15,1-6 Big South
74
Winner Longwood LWU 14-6,5-2 Big South
USC Upstate USCU
6-15,1-6 Big South
50
Final
74
Longwood LWU
14-6,5-2 Big South
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
USC Upstate USCU 9 20 8 13 50
Longwood LWU 8 18 34 14 74

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Aubrie Kierscht and Cassie Gallagher Each Score in Double-Figures as Women's Basketball Falls at Longwood

FARMVILLE, Va. – Away from home to complete a two-game road swing while also avoiding the impacts of the impending Winter Storm Fern, USC Upstate showed a strong first-half fight in its contest at Longwood, a game moved forward one day due to the potential impact of the weekend's weather, before falling 74-50 at the Joan Perry Brock Center.
 
For the sixth time through seven Big South games, the duo of redshirt junior guard Aubrie Kierscht and redshirt sophomore guard Cassie Gallagher each scored in double-figures, offering 13 and 10 points, respectively. Each shot 4-of-10 from the field with Kierscht going 2-of-6 and Gallagher going 1-of-3 from beyond the arc.
 
Playing to its strength, Upstate secured the rebounding battle, owning a +8 margin at game's end, extending its streak of consecutive games to start Big South play with a rebounding margin of +8 or better to seven. The Spartans' 46 rebounds are the most for the club in a Big South contest, edging its 45 boards against Charleston Southern.
 
Graduate student forward Aijah Palmore paced Upstate with a game-best 11 rebounds, her fourth straight and 10th overall game with double-digit rebounds. Behind her on the rebounding leaderboard, freshman guard Kinley Paterson and redshirt junior forward Vera Söderblom pulled in six boards apiece with Paterson's total tying her career high.
 
Scoring six and five points, respectively, for the Spartans, freshman guard Jessa Troy and junior guard Macy Wike notched their career-high scoring marks against a Division I opponent. Troy knocked down a pair of threes with Wike adding one of her own as the pair combined to shoot 3-of-4 from distance.
 
Game Information
Score: Longwood 74; USC Upstate 50
Records: USC Upstate (6-15; 1-6 Big South); Longwood (14-6; 5-2 Big South)
Location: Joan Perry Brock Center | Farmville, Va.
 
How It Happened
First Quarter
  • With both sides seeing a quick turnaround from Wednesday's contest and travel, both sides traded jabs throughout much of the opening period, playing six-plus minutes before seeing one side notch successive field goals.
  • Longwood crafted the first scoring run of the afternoon, potting four straight markers, swinging the lead in its favor for the first time with 3:41 remaining in the quarter. Aubrie Kierscht provided Upstate's answer, driving the baseline to hit the floater and draw the foul. She converted the and-one attempt, delivering a one-point Spartan lead at the break.
Second Quarter
  • Busting the Lancers' press, Zora Fray-Chinn found Macy Wike wide open in the corner as her triple extended the Upstate scoring run to six. Longwood responded with a three before Cassie Gallagher hit a pull-up jumper to up the scoring stretch to 8-3 in Upstate's favor.
  • Building the Spartans' first six-point lead of the game—Upstate's largest in the half—Kierscht helped ignite a 7-0 scoring run, scoring the first five markers of the stretch. Zoe Richardson, remaining relentless on the offensive glass, added the final two points. The Lancers countered with a 6-0 run, knotting the game before a 5-0 Upstate run stretched the team's advantage.
  • Answering a Lancer layup with her second trey of the half, Kierscht built Upstate a second six-point advantage, extending Upstate's scoring stretch to 8-2 with 49 seconds to play before half. Longwood entered the locker room with a three in the final ticks, trimming the lead to three.
Third Quarter
  • Beginning the second half, Vera Söderblom hit a pair of free throws, extending the Spartans' advantage to five. Longwood, however, put the clamps on the Spartans, erasing the Upstate lead with a 13-0 run fueled by six Upstate turnovers.
  • Kinley Paterson snapped the Lancer scoring run with a coast-to-coast layup. Longwood followed with a 14-0 run, growing a 27-2 scoring stretch. The Lancers outscored Upstate 34 to eight in the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
  • Starting the fourth quarter, Upstate reeled off the first five markers as Gallagher knocked down a triple before Madison Miller hit a hook shot to complete the stretch. Longwood countered with the next 12 points, growing its lead as large as 30 with 3:56 to play.
  • Offering the Spartans' longest scoring run of the afternoon, Wike and Jessa Troy combined for eight points, all coming from distance. Wike hit a long two before Troy connected on a pair of threes in the following possessions.
 
Notable
  • Holding a 46-38 edge on the glass, Upstate extended its stretch of games to begin Big South play with a rebounding margin greater than +8 to seven. The Spartans' 46 rebounds stand as their most in a league contest this season, the fifth time in seven Big South games corralling 40-plus rebounds.
 
Up Next for the Spartans
Off a two-game road swing, USC Upstate returns to the G.B. Hodge Center next Wednesday, returning home to host Radford in the final game of the front half of Big South play. The Spartans and Highlanders meet for a 7 p.m. ET tip.
 
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