The USC Upstate Spartans have entered into their Big South Conference slate after a rough run through their non-league schedule. The early part of the season saw USCU run through their fair share of highs and lows, going 4-11 through the first month and a half. They notched their first win against Piedmont back on November 6th and picked up their first victory over a division I opponent December 7th against Western Carolina. They have been competitive. But, the fact of the matter is that although this team is better than last year’s, they are young and inexperienced and have a long way to go yet despite the evident progress – shown by the last 4 games in particular.
The Spartans have definitely been in one of their “valleys” this season over the span of the holiday break. Upstate has dropped each of their last 4 contests – a 73-53 loss at South Carolina, an 85-70 slip up at home against SC State, and a 72-64 defeat from Youngstown State in the Hodge back on December 21st. They also started Big South play with a 95-76 loss to Winthrop in Rock Hill.
“It’s a learning process”, said USC Upstate head coach Marty Richter. We are the 365th-ranked team on KenPom in terms of division I experience. But, these guys are learning how to win.”
Wednesday night, Upstate returned to the Hodge Center hoping to prove that they’re learning to win with the first of back to back home conference games, starting off with the Presbyterian College Blue Hose. In the end, the Spartans made a big stride with what was easily their best performance of the season to date.
In the early going, Both squads struggled, but it was the Hose that got the early edge. Heading into the first media timeout, PC went on a 2 minute scoreless streak that allowed the Spartans to stay in striking distance despite a 1:52 skid of their own. Out of the break, Upstate finally broke through from beyond the arch with a triple from Chico Johnson, giving them a brief 12-10 lead. That basket seemingly woke both offenses up as things devolved into a back and forth from there.
Ahead of the under-12 break, the turnover bug began to bite the Blue Hose, which allowed the Spartans to build up a nice advantage. Karmani Gregory hit a big three to help Upstate reclaim the lead at the 8:35 mark, sparking a 7-0 burst that would turn into a 13-3 overall run spanning the next six minutes, giving Upstate a 32-22 lead at the under four.
Out of that break, the Blue Hose put together a 6-0 tear to cut the Spartans’ lead down to 3, but once again, Chico Johnson struck the flint and steel with a pull up jumper. That would be followed with a layup from Breylin Garcia on their ensuing possession to jump back out 7 points with just 30 seconds to play in the opening stanza. Presbyterian answered, managing to get one last basket on a Kobe Stewart driving layup with 6 ticks left to make it 38-33 in favor of Upstate at the half.
In the 2nd half, the Spartans maintained control thanks to several contributors finding their way into double figures in the points column. Breylin Garcia was first with a layup at the 18:56 mark. Karmani Gregory soon followed with an old-fashioned three point play. Just ahead of the under 16 break, Chico Johnson drained another three to put him over the mark, this one from the left side, which was huge at the time as prior to it PC cut the lead to just three points. But quite possibly the most significant player to clear the 10 point mark in the opening 8 minutes of the 2nd half was Mister Dean.
We all know Mister is a guy that is going to give you some highlight dunks. But he is good for far more than that. He is a tough and all-around impressive freshman talent that you cannot let get hot. Unfortunately for the Hose, Mister did catch fire, getting over the mark with a layup and an and-1. Shortly after, he slammed home the first of back to back dunks – one off an offensive rebound where he went up and put back a missed triple that bounced high off the rim from Chico Johnson, and the other on a fast break after coming up with a turnover. Dean ended up on a personal 7-0 tear as part of an overall 10-2 Spartan run spanning up to the third media timeout. He would go on to lead the way with 23 points, an assist, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals.
Still, despite Dean’s 2nd half explosion, the Blue Hose showed some grit in chipping away. Following the Spartans’ 10-2 push, Presbyterian put together 2 different scoring runs – a 9-0 one complemented by a 3 minute drought by Upstate, and an 8-0 that was also aided by a three minute scoring skid. The second run cut USCU’s lead down to an uncomfortable three points.
It’s a “duh” statement, but when the game is getting too close for comfort late, you have to have someone step up and make a play if you want to win. For the Spartans, that someone was Carmelo Adkins. He broke Upstate’s 3:13 skid and answered with about as clutch of a three as you can get, draining one from the right corner to create some cushion. That play sparked a 9-0 run that included going 4-5 at the line and a big layup from Mister Dean.
In the end, the Spartans were able to even their Big South record at 1-1 with a 77-67 victory that can only be described as a total team effort.
“Presbyterian is a very good team. They are feisty and tough, and they play extremely hard. When the game is not going their way, they have always found a way to get back into the game. They did that tonight. My hat goes off to them. Fortunately, our guys stepped up and made plays. Everyone had a different role tonight. But, they stepped up and made plays. That is college basketball and it was awesome to see. Prime example was at the end of the game. When We needed a bucket, we were up 67-64. Carmelo hit that corner three when we needed it most. And that flipped it. They were getting a rebound and scoring every time down the floor, and he made that shot and put some pressure on them” said Richter.
All of this was part of an Upstate effort where they scored a whopping 39 points off the bench, forced 13 turnovers (9 of which were steals), and scored 15 points off those turnovers. Upstate also dominated the paint, scoring 40 points from the floor while also going 13-18 at the charity stripe – something that can’t be overlooked since the Spartans have been wildly inconsistent when it comes to free throw shooting.
“Our three bigs – Nic Book, Mister {Dean}, and Breylin {Garcia}, did an awesome job of controlling the paint all night. They scored when they had opportunities, rebounded well for 30 of the 40 minutes, and that was good to see. It is awesome to see 4 guys in double figures. That means the ball is moving and everyone is getting opportunities. That is what we want. They have worked for this opportunity. We have had our opportunities. We have given some away, and we have won some. Tonight, we won”, said Richter of his team’s effort.
Mister Dean was not the only one with a big game for the Spartans. As mentioned earlier, they had 4 log double figures – their second straight game with 4 or more players to achieve that mark. Breylin Garcia and Chico Johnson each had 12 points, with Garcia adding 5 rebounds and a steal while Johnson tabbed 2 boards, 2 assists, and a swipe. Karmani Gregory finished with 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists. Brit Harris and Carmelo Adkins were the only others over 5 points – Harris with 8 to go with 4 boards, an assist, and a pair of steals and Adkins with 6 to complement his 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
With the win, Upstate (5-12, 1-1) will turn their attention to another tough test this weekend as they host the Radford Highlanders.
“Radford is a big, strong, physical team, so it will test us in the paint. It will be very similar to what we saw from Winthrop with their ability to score at the rim”, said Coach Richter. “We are going to have to heat their guards up and take control of the glass. Right now, the beauty of this is that it is about how quickly you can enjoy this moment. We are gonna enjoy it for the next 15 hours and then move on to the next opponent. That is my job – to get them on to the next opponent.”
It is worth noting that with the threat of inclement weather this weekend, Saturday’s game may end up getting postponed, but as of now, tip off between the Spartans and Highlanders is set for 2:00 pm at the GB Hodge Center. Any changes will be announced in the coming days by USC Upstate.
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