USC Upstate Upends High Point, Advances to Quarterfinals

USC Upstate Upends High Point, Advances to Quarterfinals

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For the first time since 2015 the USC Upstate men's basketball team is moving on in a conference tournament, after a 69-59 victory over High Point in the First Round of the Hercules Tires Big South Tournament on Tuesday night in front of a sold out crowd inside the G.B. Hodge Center.
 
USC Upstate (13-19) won the opening tip and sophomore guard Everette Hammond connected on a three-pointer and the Spartans were off and running in front of an electric crowd. The Spartans opened the game on a 12-2 run and never looked back. With 14:30 to play in the half Cliff Thomas Jr. made a layup to end the scoring run for USC Upstate.
 
At the 11:18 mark of the first half Nevin Zink made a put back-layup to extend the Spartans lead to 17-7. The basket ignited a 7-0 run, Hammond's pull up transition jump shot with 8:47 to go in the period put the Spartans up 24-7.
 
Over the next several minutes of game time the Panthers chipped away at the Spartans lead and with 4:54 to play High Point was back to within seven of USC Upstate. Right on time, Bryson Mozone drained a pull up three-pointer and the Spartans lead was back to double-digits.
 
USC Upstate went into the halftime intermission up 35-18. Hammond led all-scorers with 12-points in the opening half. John-Michael Wright led High Point with 7 first half points.
 
High Point made two quick baskets to begin the second half and prompted USC Upstate head coach Dave Dickerson to call a timeout up 35-23. Out of the timeout break, Tommy Bruner hit a three-pointer to put the Spartans back up by 15.
 
Over the next several minutes each team traded points and offensive runs with one another. With 8:31 to play in the game Wright made a fast break layup off a High Point block to pull the Panthers within single digits of the Spartans. Following a USC Upstate timeout Dalvin White hit a three-pointer to send the game into a media timeout.
 
USC Upstate connected on their free throws down the stretch and came away with a 10-point victory over High Point. The victory ends a five-year losing skid for the Spartans in conference tournament games. The win was also the Spartans first ever Big South Tournament win.