SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Fending off impending winter and closing out its second two-game homestand during Big South play, USC Upstate women's basketball began the second half of league play versus Charleston Southern, dropping an 85-62 decision Friday evening at the G.B. Hodge Center.
 
After no Spartan scored in double-figures in the team's prior outing, two Spartans, redshirt sophomore guard Cassie Gallagher and redshirt junior guard Aubrie Kierscht, reached the plateau for Upstate against the Buccaneers with two additional players knocking on the door. Gallagher paced the Spartans with 17 points while Kierscht added 13 markers as the duo combined to reach double-figures in the same game for the seventh time during conference play.
 
Kierscht finished the night with a season-best 71.4 percent field goal percentage, shooting 5-of-7 from the field while going a perfect 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, the first time she's accomplished the feat this season.
 
Just shy of double-figures, redshirt freshman forward Madison Miller notched nine markers—her career-high scoring total against a Division I opponent—and redshirt junior forward Vera Söderblom recorded eight points to pair with a team-best 11 rebounds, her fourth double-digit rebounding game of the campaign.
 
Game Information
Score: Charleston Southern 85; USC Upstate 62
Records: USC Upstate (6-17; 1-8 Big South); Charleston Southern (7-15; 5-4 Big South)
Location: G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Quarter

• Taking the opening tap, Upstate scored on its opening possession behind a layup from Aijah Palmore. Charleston Southern countered with a pair of three-pointers, forcing the game's lone lead change, before a Cassie Gallagher pull-up fell to break the run.
• The Buccaneers followed with a 5-0 scoring spurt before Upstate answered with its own 5-0 scoring run—its longest of the night—courtesy of five straight markers from Aubrie Kierscht. Charleston Southern notched a pair of four-point scoring stretches snapped by a three from Cassie Gallagher and a layup from Vera Söderblom, respectively.

Second Quarter

• Bridging the quarter break, Söderblom built a personal four-point scoring run, beginning the new frame with an elbow jumper. The Buccaneers followed with their longest scoring stretch of the opening half, reeling off 10 straight points before a Gallagher triple snuffed the run.
• Off an 18-4 scoring stretch from Charleston Southern, Upstate closed the half with a seven-to-three scoring margin, seeing buckets from Gallagher and Madison Miller. Miller finished the frame with the final five markers for the Spartans.

Third Quarter

• Opening the second half, the two sides matched one another with field goals until a pair of Söderblom free throws fashioned another 5-0 Upstate scoring run, the first scoring run of the half. The Buccaneers countered with four straight points, kickstarting a 9-2 scoring stretch.
• Closing the stanza, Upstate remained just ahead of Charleston Southern, edging the Buccaneers 11-9 over the final four minutes of the quarter. Emma Blair and Gallagher led the stretch with four markers apiece with Kierscht adding three with the lone trey for the Spartans of the quarter.

Fourth Quarter

• Beginning the final frame, Charleston Southern tallied the first points, a layup, before Kierscht responded with a floater of her own. The Buccaneers answered with the game's longest scoring run, recording the next 11 points, opening the quarter behind a 13-2 run.
• Upstate countered with a 6-1 scoring stretch, holding Charleston Southern without a field goal in the stretch. Following a Buccaneer triple, the Spartans outscored their foe 7-4 to close the game.

 
Notable

• For the ninth time in Big South Conference play, USC Upstate did not lose the rebounding battle, posting a +0 rebounding margin for the second straight contest as each side corralled 36 boards. The Spartans ride a nine-game streak without losing the rebounding battle, encompassing all league contests this season, and are the only Big South team to not lose the rebounding battle in conference play.

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Upon conclusion of the team's two-game homestand, USC Upstate hits the road to begin a two-game road swing Wednesday. The Spartans travel to Presbyterian for a 6 p.m. ET tilt with the Blue Hose.
 
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Ingles I-26 Rivalry Food Drive: Support Miracle Hill Ministries in Spartanburg by donating to the Ingles I-26 Rivalry Series Food Drive through Saturday, February 14. All donations stay local, and donors may scan the QR code on donation bins for a free ticket to an upcoming Upstate basketball game. For donation locations and more information, click here.