ROCK HILL, S.C. – Finishing a two-game road swing and coming off the team's final bye during Big South Conference play, USC Upstate women's basketball secured its second straight road victory, downing Winthrop 67-58 Wednesday evening.
 
As good things come in threes, the Spartans hit a trifecta of 20's, finishing the night with two players scoring 20-plus points and one player grabbing 20-plus rebounds. Graduate student forward Aijah Palmore proved the headliner for Upstate, securing her fourth double-double of the year behind 11 points and a season-high 21 rebounds. Her 21 rebounds make her the first Spartan since Rebekah Gordon on Nov. 25, 2024, to corral 20 or more boards in a game.
 
Offensively, for the first time under head coach Jason Williams and the first time since March 6, 2021, two Spartans scored 20 or more points as redshirt junior guard Aubrie Kierscht and redshirt sophomore guard Cassie Gallagher dropped 24 and 22 markers, respectively. The duo combined to shoot 14-of-24 from the field and 8-of-14 from beyond the arc. Six of Kierscht's seven field goals fell from beyond the arc, her fifth game this season hitting five or more triples.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 67; Winthrop 58
Records: USC Upstate (8-17; 3-8 Big South); Winthrop (11-15; 4-8 Big South)
Location: Winthrop Coliseum | Rock Hill, S.C.
 
How It Happened
First Quarter

• Despite seeing Winthop control the opening tap, the Spartans struck first as Aubrie Kierscht canned a corner three to begin the night's scoring. After trading barbs, the Eagles reeled off the first scoring run of the night, offering five consecutive markers, taking the lead for the first time.
• Kierscht answered the scoring run with a floater, knotting things back up before her second triple capped a 6-2 Upstate scoring stretch, putting the Spartans back in front at the media stoppage.
• Winthrop closed the quarter outscoring Upstate by a 10-4 mark, staking a four-point lead at the period break. Vera Söderblom and Cassie Gallagher notched the field goals for the Spartans to close the frame.

Second Quarter

• Quickly firing back to take the advantage, the Spartans connected on their first three triples of the new quarter, creating a 9-2 scoring stretch to open the second period. Gallagher knocked down a pair of treys in the stretch with the other hit by Kierscht.
• The Eagles used a 5-2 scoring stretch to knot the game, but Upstate responded with its longest run of the opening half, stringing together eight straight markers. The Spartans closed the half with a 10-2 scoring mark, holding an eight-point advantage at the buzzer.

Third Quarter

• While the Eagles recorded the first point of the second half via free throw, Upstate kept its momentum rolling, building a 9-0 scoring run, pushing its lead into double-figures for the final time. Helping the advantage extend as many as 16 tallies, Gallagher converted a traditional three-point play and Kierscht canned two treys in the run.
• Winthrop countered with the next five points, snapping the Spartans' run, but Upstate answered with five points of its own, pushing the lead back to 16. An Aijah Palmore layup preceded a Lexi Castator three from the corner, creating the spurt for the Spartans.
• Closing the frame, the Eagles built a 7-0 scoring run, cutting the Spartan lead to nine at the quarter break.

Fourth Quarter

• Gallagher broke the Winthrop scoring run to begin the fourth stanza, converting her second and-one opportunity. The Eagles followed with a 6-0 scoring stretch, cutting the Spartan advantage to six with 6:34 to play. Upstate answered with the next five markers, extending the advantage back to double-digits.
• Over the final six minutes of the contest, despite not hitting a field goal, Upstate kept Winthrop at bay as it hit nine free throws to close the game. Gallagher hit four consecutive free throws to end the night, capping a nine-point Spartan victory.

 
Notable

• Corralling 21 rebounds Wednesday against Winthrop, Aijah Palmore secured the first 20-plus rebound game by a Spartan this season. The game is the first since Nov. 25, 2024, when Rebekah Gordon tallied 23 rebounds against Clinton College, to see a Spartan record 20 or more boards in a game.
• Behind Palmore's 21 boards, Upstate bested Winthrop by +23 on the glass, outrebounding the Eagles 49 to 26. The +23 rebounding margin marks the Spartans' best single-game rebounding margin against a Division I team this season, surpassing Upstate's +22 margin against Western Carolina on Dec. 3, 2025.
• Seeing Aubrie Kierscht and Cassie Gallagher score 24 and 22 points, respectively, Upstate registered multiple 20-point scorers in the same contest for the first time since March 6, 2021, versus Charleston Southern.

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Coming off its two-game road swing, USC Upstate returns home to the G.B. Hodge Center Saturday, rekindling the Ingles I-26 Rivalry Series. The Spartans host UNC Asheville for a 2 p.m. ET tip.
 
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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.