Women's Basketball Pushes Road Winning Streak to Four, Never Trailing Regular Season Champion High Point in 55-50 Victory

Saturday, February 28

High Point, N.C.

2:00 p.m.

University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics

11-19,6-10Big South

High Point

24-5,13-3Big South

USC Upstate

High Point

Aijah Palmore Postgame Celebration vs. Longwood 2026 - CH

Photo by: Catherine Harney

2/28/2026 7:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Looking to close the regular season by carrying momentum into the impending Big South Women's Basketball Championship, USC Upstate women's basketball earned a huge victory, going on the road to defeat High Point 55-50 in a game it never trailed. The win, the Spartans' third all-time inside the Qubein Center—the most among visiting teams in the facility's history—secured Upstate its fourth straight road win, the longest road winning streak for the Spartans since 2015-16.

Playing to its strength and the foundation of its four-game road winning streak, Upstate won the battle on the boards, besting the Panthers by a +24 mark, the largest rebounding margin win for the Spartans against a Division I foe this season. The Spartans corralled 49 rebounds, paced by 14 from graduate student forward Aijah Palmore, her 12^th double-digit rebounding game of the campaign.

Nearly joining Palmore in double-digits in the rebounding column, redshirt junior forward Vera Söderblom and redshirt sophomore forward Emma Blair pulled in eight and seven boards, respectively, as the trio combined for 29 of the Spartans' 49 boards.

Offensively, Upstate was balanced as nine of 10 Spartans scored. Redshirt sophomore guard Cassie Gallagher led the way with 12 markers, her 23rd double-figure scoring contest of the season. Just shy of double-figures, redshirt junior guard Aubrie Kierscht and Palmore notched nine points apiece.

Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 55; High Point 50
Records: USC Upstate (11-19; 6-10 Big South); High Point (24-5; 13-3 Big South)
Qubein Center | High Point, N.C.

How It Happened
First Quarter

Opening the day's scoring on her team's second possession, Cassie Gallagher knocked down a pull-up jumper to deliver Upstate the lead, something it wouldn't surrender. With the two sides trying to lift the lid on the basket, the Spartans extended their game-opening run to five as Aubrie Kierscht splashed a three.
Just ahead of the day's first media stoppage, the Panthers and Spartans provide call-and-response scoring as High Point outpaced Upstate 7-5 to close the frame, all seven points scored by Macy Spencer. Zoe Richardson provided the answers for the Spartans, notching four of Upstate's five points, leading Upstate to the three-point cushion after the first quarter.

Second Quarter

Beginning the second period, the Panthers knotted the game for the first time, notching four of the first five points of the second to force an 11-11 deadlock with 8:53 to play in the frame. Upstate responded with its longest scoring stretch of the first half, reeling off the next eight points behind scoring from four different players: Kierscht, Aijah Palmore, Vera Söderblom, and Gallagher.
Down the stretch of the quarter, High Point and Upstate scored in lockstep, the Panthers barely edging the Spartans, 8-7, as the frame closed. In the final two minutes of the period, the Spartans carried a 6-3 advantage, building their seven-point halftime lead behind buckets from Richardson, Emma Blair, and Söderblom.

Third Quarter

Opening the second half, High Point quickly erased the Spartans' halftime advantage, marking the first seven points, tying the game at 26 with 8:38 to play in the third. In response, Upstate opted for a timeout.
Upstate's timeout flipped the momentum of the game, exiting the huddle and scoring the next 18 points, reeling off its second-longest scoring run of the season. Gallagher and Palmore totaled six points apiece in the run with Kierscht, Kinley Paterson, and Söderblom also scoring.
Snapping the Spartan scoring run with 1:55 to play in the third, High Point trimmed Upstate's advantage to 17 at the close of the period, outscoring Upstate 5-4 in the final two minutes.

Fourth Quarter

Adding to a three-pointer to close the third frame, High Point fashioned a 15-0 scoring run as it sought a comeback attempt. The Panthers held Upstate without a field goal for almost 10 minutes of game time, not permitting the Spartans' first field goal in the final stanza until 55 seconds remaining.
Scoring its first points of the final frame behind a pair of clutch free throws from Blair with 2:03 to play, Upstate withstood a furious Panther comeback attempt. The Spartans' biggest shot of the day was their lone field goal of the fourth quarter, a triple from the corner from Lexi Castator. Icing the game, Gwen Jenkins knocked down a pair of free throws with 10 seconds remaining, creating the five-point margin.

Notable

Earning the victory Saturday over the Panthers, Upstate's win marks the program's third at the Qubein Center, all coming under head coach Jason Williams. Since the arena opened in 2021-22, Upstate is the winningest visiting team in the facility's history, winning at High Point in 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2025-26.
Picking off its fourth consecutive road victory, Upstate extended its road winning streak to four games, the program's longest since the 2015-16 season. Upstate's latest four-game road winning streak features victories over the teams finishing first, second, and third in the league standings at the end of the regular season.
Besting the Panthers by a +24 rebounding margin, Upstate's total stands as its highest rebounding margin win against a Division I opponent this season, besting its +23 mark against Winthrop on Feb. 11.

Up Next for the Spartans
With the regular season coming to a close, Upstate turns its attention to the 2026 Big South Women's Basketball Championship. Depending on Saturday's results, the Spartans either begin the event Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET or Thursday at 6:00 p.m.

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