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SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Two free throws from junior Courtney Bradley
(Columbia, S.C./Dutch Fork) with 12 seconds left and a block by freshman
Kasey Thompson (Marion, Ind./Oak Hill) on a 3-pointer with five seconds
left helped ice the USC Upstate women’s basketball team’s
first Division I win, 59-56, at home on Saturday afternoon at the
Hodge Center against Division II Limestone.
Bradley led the Spartans (2-3 overall) with 13 points, all in the
second half, and a season-high six assists. She added six rebounds.
Freshman Oceana Jackson (Carnesville, Ga./Franklin County) added 12
points and nine rebounds and sophomore Courtney Hawkins (Greer, S.C./Greer)
added 10 points, five rebounds and three steals. Junior Ebony Johnson
(Columbia, S.C./Ridgeview) added eight points, eight rebounds, three
steals and two blocks.
USC Upstate struggled from the 3-point line all day long, missing
its first 21 shots behind the arc before Bradley connected on a 3-pointer
with 7:40 left to put the Spartans up by eight at 47-39. Limestone
(2-4 overall) chipped back into the game, going on a 10-2 run capped
by a free throw from Tiffany Jones with 3:19 left to tie the game
at 49. Hawkins connected on a 3-pointer and after an unforced Lady
Saints turnover, Bradley connected on her second trey of the half,
giving the Spartans a 55-49 lead with 2:40 left.
However, Tierney Burdett (Peoria, ILL) the Saints leading scorer,
answered with back-to-back 3’s , tying the game with 1:05 remaining.
The Spartans responded, with Bradley driving the lane and throwing
up a layup that was off. Jackson came down with the rebound and was
fouled as she hit her layup. However, she couldn’t convert her
free throw and after a Saints turnover, Bradley made her way to the
line with 23 seconds left after a foul by the Saints. Bradley missed
both shots and the Spartans committed a foul on the floor, sending
Essence Greer to the line, where she hit one of the shots with 13
seconds left. With the score 57-56, Bradley was fouled with 12 seconds
left and she converted both shots.
The Saints tried for two 3-pointers as time ran down, but one was
blocked by Thompson and the other missed the backboard, leading the
Spartans to their 31st consecutive win at home against a Conference
Carolinas opponent.
Upstate got off to a fast start, taking a 7-0 lead after a Bradley
free throw, but Limestone responded with a 17-7 run to take a 17-14
lead with 9:32 remaining in the first half. A Hawkins jumper and two
jumpers from Jackson gave the Spartans a 20-17 lead. The Spartans
stretched the lead to nine at 32-23 after a jumper from Johnson with
2:34 left in the first half, but a Burdett 3-pointer made the Saints’
deficit six at the half.
Sophomore Shanea Wyant (Lafayette, Ind./Lafayette Jefferson) and Johnson
scored the first two buckets of the second half to stretch the lead
to 10, but a 13-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Shelly Robinson
(Belmont, NC) gave the Saints a 39-38 lead with 10:52 left. The Spartans
responded with Bradley finding Wyant in the lane for a layup to retake
the lead 40-39, starting a 9-0 run.
Burdett led the Saints with a career high 19 points and four 3-pointers
and Monica Adams (Kings Mountain, NC) added 10 points and 4 rebounds.
Greer posted 5 points and a game-high 17 rebounds and Lindsay Kyle
(Springfield, VA) posted 9 points and 3 rebounds for Limestone.
The Spartans will look for their shooters’ touch on the road,
traveling to North Carolina A&T for a 7 p.m. game on Tuesday at
the Corbett Sports Complex in Greensboro, N.C. Limestone will travel
to Mars Hill, NC for a 6:00 p.m. game with Mars Hill College on Tuesday.
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