SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Entering the back half of its first two-game Big South Conference homestand seeking its first league win, USC Upstate women's basketball put itself in position for said victory as it engaged in a hard-fought, back-and-forth affair Wednesday evening against Winthrop. The game, seeing neither team earn a double-digit lead, decided itself in the final minute as the Eagles captured the one-possession game with a layup in the final seconds at the G.B. Hodge Center, earning a 66-64 win.
 
Securing her fourth 20-plus point scoring effort of the season—the fifth such game of her career—redshirt sophomore guard Cassie Gallagher led the Spartans offensively with 22 markers. She finished the night shooting 6-of-15 from the field, 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line, complementing her scoring with five rebounds, three assists, and a career-high-tying two blocks, playing at least 37 minutes for the third straight league contest.
 
Freshman guard Kinley Paterson joined Gallagher in double-figures, tallying 10 points in the scoring column, reaching double-figures for the second time in her career. She closed the evening 5-of-9 from the field while adding five assists, four rebounds, and a career-high four steals to her stat line.
 
For the third straight game to begin Big South play, Upstate bested its opponent on the boards, pulling in 39 rebounds Wednesday, leading to a +10 rebounding margin. Redshirt sophomore forward Emma Blair headed a sextet of Spartans with four-plus rebounds, corralling a team-best eight boards.
 
Game Information
Score:
Records:
Location: G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Quarter

• Knifing her way through the Winthrop defense, Cassie Gallagher opened the Spartans' scoring for the second straight contest, hitting a driving layup on the team's first possession. The Eagles responded with the next two field goals, grabbing the advantage for the first time before the Spartans answered with three-pointers from Gwen Jenkins and Cassie Gallagher.
• Answering the Spartans' 6-0 scoring run, Winthrop notched the next five markers, flipping the advantage back in its favor. The two sides jockeyed for the lead for the remainder of the quarter, trading the lead eight times over the final six minutes of the period.

Second Quarter

• Continuing the alternating scoring trend of the contest, the second frame began with the two sides trading field goals as the Eagles stayed just a possession ahead after notching the first points of the second quarter. Winthrop extended its advantage, creating its largest lead of the game (eight points) as it reeled off a 7-0 scoring run before expanding the stretch to 9-2.
• Turning the momentum of the quarter, drew a pair of free throws on a flagrant one foul called on Winthrop's Toccara Johnson, both knocked down by Gallagher. The free throws started an 11-4 scoring stretch for the Spartans, allowing Upstate to cut the lead to one heading into the half as Gallagher knocked down a last-second triple.

Third Quarter

• Notching the first markers of another period, Winthrop exited the locker room with the first three points of the second half, lengthening its lead back to four in the half's first minute. Upstate fired back to tie the game at 38 with 7:42 to play, getting a putback layup from Aijah Palmore and free throws from Aubrie Kierscht.
• Despite seeing the Eagles regain the advantage on a driving layup, the Spartans fought back with its longest scoring run of the night, tallying 11 straight points. A Jenkins three lit the fuse on the run that saw Upstate grow a lead as large as nine with 3:31 to play in the quarter.
• Closing the frame, Winthrop trimmed its disadvantage with a 9-2 scoring stretch, cutting the lead to two at the buzzer. Kinley Paterson busted the Eagles' scoring run with a layup, snapping a 6-0 spurt.

Fourth Quarter

• Tying the game for the first of three times in the final frame, Winthrop scored the first points of the quarter. Upstate built its largest lead of the final frame using a pair of treys, seeing Gallagher and Kierscht splash from long range.
• A 6-0 Winthrop scoring run knotted the contest for the final time, coming with 4:18 to play in regulation. The Spartans, countering, turned in a 5-0 scoring run to post a five-point advantage with 2:20 remaining.
• Erasing the Spartans' lead, Winthrop forced multiple Upstate turnovers, fighting back to within one with 45 seconds to play. A layup from the Eagles' Madison Ruff with 15 seconds delivered the final lead change in favor of the visitors.

 
Notable

• For the third time through three Big South contests, USC Upstate edged its opponent on the glass, securing a 10-rebound advantage Wednesday against Winthrop. The Spartans in league play post a rebounding margin of +9.67 in league play, bettering its foe on the glass by no fewer than eight boards in its three conference clashes.

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Breaking up a stretch of three of four games played at the G.B. Hodge Center, USC Upstate heads on the road Saturday, making the short trip to Boiling Springs, N.C., to face Gardner-Webb. The Spartans and Runnin' Bulldogs tip at 2 p.m. ET.
 
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