CLINTON, S.C. - Taking the court for the first game of 2026, Upstate Men's Basketball traveled to Clinton, South Carolina for their second matchup in Big South play taking on Presbyterian College where the Blue Hose sliced Upstate's eight-point lead under the 12 minute mark in the second half closing the gap for an 86-77 final. 

Learic Davis led Upstate with his new career high of 18 points shooting 6-for-9 from the field, 2-for-3 from the three-point line, and 4-for-6 from the charity stripe. Davis also grabbed four rebounds and one assist. Mason Bendinger added 17 points shooting 6-for-13 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free throw line while grabbing one rebound. Carmelo Adkins rounded the double figure scorers with 11 points shooting 3-for-5 from the field, 2-for-4 from the perimeter, and 3-for-4 from the charity stripe. Presbyterian outdueled the Spartans on the boards with 33 rebounds (nine offensive and 24 defensive) compared to Upstate's 24 (five offensive and 19 defensive). The Blue Hose also edged the Spartans with 40 points in the paint to Upstate's 34. The Spartans outdueled Presbyterian with 16 bench points compared to the Blue Hose two.  

Game Information 

Score: Presbyterian 86: USC Upstate 77 

Records: USC Upstate (8-9; 0-2 Big South) vs. Presbyterian (8-8; 1-0 Big South) 

Location: Templeton Center| Clinton, South Carolina 

How it Happened 

First Half 

• Upstate grabbed their first lead at the 16:12 mark with Karmani Gregory connecting with Tyler Smith the triple bringing it to an 8-6 score. 

• Presbyterian responded by going on a 12-3 run to take the lead with an 20-11 score under the 10 minute mark. 

• Upstate began reel the deficit closer under the five minute mark following a three-pointer from Karmani Gregory and a layup from Mason Bendinger. Upstate ended the half on a 9-0 run with a layup from Breylin Garcia, a three-pointer from Learic Davis, two free throws from Carmelo Adkins, and a buzzer-beating tip-in layup from Garcia to trail 31-30 at the half. 

Second Half 

• Upstate picked up where they left off attacking the paint with two consecutive layups from Mason Bendinger and Learic Davis. Under the 14 minute mark, Tyler Smith put Upstate in the lead for the first since the 16:12 mark in the first half at 40-39. 

• The Spartans began a 10-2 run with multiple scores from Mason Bendinger and a corner three from Carmelo Adkins, marking their biggest lead of the day at eight points. 

• Presbyterian responded with two consecutive triples under the 10-minute mark and regained the lead with free throws made from the charity stripe. The Blue Hose lead grew following multiple free throws and a putback dunk extending their lead to six. 

• Upstate continued staying in the fight as Karmani Gregory wasted no time with a stop and pop three-pointer cutting Presbyterian's lead to 59-56. Responding from the Blue Hose going 1-for-2 at the charity stripe, Isaiah Skinner cut the Presbyterian lead to two at the 5:42 mark. 

• Presbyterian went for 19-for-22 from the free throw line under the final five minutes to overcome Upstate's second half momentum for a 86-77 final. 

Notable 

• Learic Davis added a new career-high with 18 points with six field goals. This marked Davis' third 15+ point performance on the season. 

•  Mason Bendinger's 17 point performance marked his 10th 15+ point performance on the season. 

• Karmani Gregory's two-steal performance marked his second consecutive game with two-plus steals and his fourth of the season. 

Up next for the Spartans  

Following a Saturday afternoon in Clinton, South Carolina, Upstate Men's Basketball returns to the G.B. Hodge Center hosting Winthrop University on Saturday, January 10th at 2:00 P.M.  

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