Women's Basketball Opens Air Force Reserve Big South Women's Basketball Championship Wednesday Against No. 9 Seed Presbyterian in Johnson City

Wednesday, March 4

Johnson City, Tenn.

5:00 p.m.

University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics

Presbyterian

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Team Pregame Huddle vs. Gardner-Webb 2026 - NM

Photo by: Natalia Moll

3/3/2026 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

ESPN+Live Stats Tickets Game Notes

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Closing the regular season riding a four-game winning streak in games played away from the G.B. Hodge Center, USC Upstate women's basketball begins the 2026 Air Force Reserve Big South Women's Basketball Championship against No. 9 seed Presbyterian Wednesday at Freedom Hall in Johnson City, Tenn. The Spartans seek a third straight win over the Blue Hose after sweeping the season series with wins on Jan. 14, 2026 (58-38) and Feb. 4, 2026 (70-63).

Wednesday's First Round game marks Upstate's 11^th game in the Big South Women's Basketball Championship since joining the league ahead of the 2018-19 season, entering with a 4-6 mark in the event. At the Division I level (2007-pres.), the Spartans own a 6-13 mark in their conference's postseason tournament.

Air Force Reserve Big South Women's Basketball Championship
March 4, 2026 | 5:00 p.m. ET
No. 8 USC Upstate (11-19; 6-10 Big South) vs. No. 9 Presbyterian (3-26; 1-15 Big South)
Freedom Hall | Johnson City, Tenn.

TV: ESPN+ | Via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN App
Weekly Coaches Interview: Catch head coach Jason Williams weekly on Fox Sports Spartanburg every Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. ET.

How They Stack Up
Records: USC Upstate (11-19; 6-10 Big South); Presbyterian (3-26; 1-15 Big South)
Series: Presbyterian leads 11-10
Last Five Meetings: Feb. 4, 2026 (UPST 70; PC 63); Jan. 14, 2026 (UPST 58; PC 38); Feb. 5, 2025 (PC 68; UPST 51); Jan. 8, 2025 (PC 59; UPST 58); Feb. 28, 2024 (PC 47; UPST 43)

Players to Watch
USC Upstate: Helping Upstate to a +24 rebounding margin in the Spartans' regular season finale at High Point, graduate student forward Aijah Palmore pulled in a game-high 14 rebounds, her 12^th double-digit rebounding game of the season. She closed the regular season ranked second in the Big South in rebounding, averaging 8.2 rebounds per game, and total rebounds, pulling in 239 boards. Palmore complements her rebounding by shooting 45.5 percent from the field while averaging 6.3 points per game.

Presbyterian: Averaging 17.0 points per game against the Spartans this season, senior guard Ja'Cia Cunningham leads the Blue Hose into the Big South Women's Basketball Championship. She's the lone Presbyterian player scoring in double-figures this season, averaging 10.7 points per contest while shooting 31.5 percent from the field and 25.7 percent from three. She supplements her scoring with 24 steals, 21 assists, and nine blocks while averaging 3.5 rebounds per game.

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