It was a showdown between 2 familiar foes in the USC Upstate Spartans and the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs as they met on the hardwoods for the third time this season up in Johnson City, Tennessee to open the 2025 Big South Conference Men’s Basketball tournament.
The first two meetings did not at all go well for Upstate, with GWU seemingly shooting the lights out each time. The first game saw them up by 25 by the end of the 1st half. The 2nd time saw GW live up to their nickname and run away from the Spartans late. The thing both games had in common was that Upstate was unable to defend, giving up 97 in a 30 point blowout in the first game and surrendering 96 more in the return game at home, albeit in just a 9 point loss.
Still, if you asked Gardner-Webb first-year head coach Jeremy Luther, despite their dominance over the Spartans this season, they are not a team that you can count out or overlook.
“All year long, if you have watched our league, they {Upstate} are scary. A few weeks ago when we beat them at their place, I told our guys coming into that game that they were gonna get somebody. They lost to Asheville by 1 on the road. They led Asheville most of the game at their place. They played everybody super close. They can really shoot it. Marty {Richter} did a good job in his first year. So, don’t let it be us” said Luther.
Round three of the series between these two was unique.. at least in the early going. Neither side got off to a strong start. Upstate started 1 for their first 7 from the field, including 0 for 4 from three point range. Gardner-Webb was not much better, just 2 for 7 in the opening 4 minutes, taking a 5-2 lead to the first media timeout. The Spartans’ scoreless streak extended to nearly 4 minutes after the break, but was finally broken when Nic Book drained a hook shot on a put back to cut the deficit to just a point. But, the Runnin’ Bulldogs answered with a 4-0 burst to go back up 5.
At the 13:20 mark of the half, Brit Harris finally drained the first three pointer of the game for Upstate, but rather than spark the Spartans, they went cold yet again. Gardner-Webb went 4 for their next 4 from the floor ahead of the under 12 to take a 14-7 lead thanks in part to USC Upstate’s season-long defensive struggles rearing their head again.
Out of the break, things looked to be taking a turn for the worst for the Spartans as the Bulldogs extended their run to 9-0 over the next 2 minutes. In essence, over the around three minutes of game time between Harris’ triple and Marty Richter’s 30 second timeout with 10:52 to play in the half, anything and everything that could go wrong for Upstate did. But, credit to the team, when things looked to be getting away and the Spartans found themselves getting frustrated, they did not lie down.
They finished the half strong on defense, holding Gardner-Webb to just three points over the last 7 minutes and some change. But, offensively, they mustered just 6 points to make for a narrow 31-28 GWU lead at the break.
That was as close as the game would ever get the rest of the way. The second half started with the Runnin’ Bulldogs stretching the lead to 10 in a 12-4 run. Upstate managed to pull back within 4, but as the minutes wound down, the song that has seemingly been on replay for most of the season for the Spartans started over once more. Upstate shot just 8 of 15 from the freethrow line, adding to a game where they shot 12 for 19 total from the stripe. On the flipside, Gardner-Webb not only made their free throws (16 for 20) – they also made big shots.
By the under eight break, both teams were shooting well if you look at the numbers. Upstate was 6 for their last 8, GWU was 4 for their previous 5. Those 4 makes consisted of a pair of threes and back to back layups while consecutive Mister Dean dunks accounted for the bulk of USC Upstate’s offense in that span. By the end, the Runnin’ Bulldogs wore the Spartans down and rolled the rest of the way en route to an 83-63 win, punching their ticket to the quarterfinals for a date with top-seeded High Point Friday at noon.
“We did an awesome job of fighting back in the first half”, said Upstate Head Coach Marty Richter.
“They got up 28-13 and our guys fought back and got it to 31-28 at the half. We closed the way we needed to. In the 2nd half, their physicality wore us down. Their 4th and 5th year seniors and big body types wore our first-year guys down. We are the youngest team in college basketball on KenPom. That wore us down in the 2nd half. They had 19 second chance points. They had 5 offensive rebounds in the 1st half, and ended up with 16. They had 11 in the 2nd half. He {Jeremy Luther} did a good job of getting after them at the half. They came out, got in the paint and lived there. Gardner-Webb has a really good team. My hat goes off to them and I wish them the best of luck against High Point on Friday afternoon.”
Mister Dean and Karmani Gregory led the way for the Spartans with 17 points a piece. The duo combined for 10 rebounds, 5 assists, six steals, and 2 blocks. Brit Harris was the lone other Upstate player to hang double digits, tallying 12 points, 5 boards, and an assist. The next closest scorer was Isaiah Skinner with 5 – which is the game in a nutshell.
Upstate finished the first season under Marty Richter’s leadership with a 6-26 overall record, but don’t let that fool you. Upstate was competitive against some of the best teams in the league this season and while there is little doubt things will look much different rosterwise for the Spartans next season, Coach Richter believes that even with as good as the Big South Conference is, the future is bright in the area between Valley Falls and Hearon Circle.
“When I studied the league this offseason, I focused on the teams at the top. I was looking at Asheville, High Point, and Longwood – the teams that have been representing the league. But, I did not realize how physical this league is. I did not anticipate that. Our league is really good, and people don’t realize that. The Big South is ranked higher than the Mid America Conference and the Horizon League. We are rated higher than the CAA. They are 19th and we are 15th. I have to improve as a head coach, my players have to improve, my assistants have to improve. We have to get better as an organization. And we will. We have a spot at USC Upstate that is a special place. Our administration is special. We have a special place.”
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