Upstate Runs Past Bob Jones

The USC Upstate Spartans entered Wednesday night’s tilt with the Bob Jones University Bruins out of the National Christian College Athletic Association on a 2-game win streak and looking to keep things rolling before getting back to playing tough Division I competition this weekend.

Last time out, the Spartans, led by Carmelo Adkins with 23 points, knocked off D-III Southern Virginia. Four players scored in double figures, including Kanye Jones (14 pts), Karmani Gregory (12), and Mason Bendinger (11). To add to that, every Upstate player that saw minutes in the game contributed to the scoring.

Wednesday night’s game had a storyline develop ahead of it with the news that Breylin Garcia would not play. The senior Forward had been dealing with an ankle injury since before the start of the season and was questionable as to whether he would see any minutes or even dress out for the games during the opening week road trip to California in which the Spartans faced Cal Baptist and Fresno State. He persevered through it, logging minutes in each of the first 3 games of the season, but the nagging nature of the injury left him unable to play Wednesday Night against BJU.

This game started off much quicker for the Spartans than Saturday’s did. The Spartans went 1 for their first 4 from the field against Southern Virginia, but Wednesday night against the Bruins, Bendinger broke the goose egg just 45 seconds in on a layup. That would be part of a perfect 4 for 4 start over the opening 4 minutes in which Bendinger would notch 6 of Upstate’s 10 points. Tyler Smith logged the lone other basket while both he and Bendinger would split 4 free throws in the first 4 minutes.

Things got a bit dicier out of the under 16 timeout, after the Spartans immediately saw their perfect start snapped with a missed three from Carmelo Adkins. Nic Book came up with the offensive rebound, but seconds later, Karmani Gregory missed a floater from about 6 feet out. Later, a bad pass was picked off and taken the other way for a layup to snap a nearly 2 and a half minute scoreless skid for Bob Jones, the momentum of which the Bruins were able to turn into a spurt that cut the Upstate lead to just 4 before Carmelo Adkins finally broke the lid off the hoop with the first of back to back triples, snapping an 0-4 start from three for Upstate as a team ahead of the under 12 break.

Fast-forwarding to the tail end of the segment ahead of the final media timeout of the half, Upstate was finally able to create a comfortable cushion thanks to their first extended scoring run of the night – an 8-0 push spanning 1:42. The burst was extended to 9-0 out of the break when Adkins split a pair of free throws, and in spite of being outscored 6-2 over the final 3 minutes of the half, the Spartans took a 48-28 advantage to the intermission.

Out of the half, USC Upstate exploded to a 22-4 run spanning the first 7 minutes and 21 seconds into the under 16 media timeout that all but put the nail in the coffin. The Spartans used another 12-0 burst around the under 12 to push the overall run to 37-8 since the start of the half and by the time the clock hit all zeros, for the 2nd straight game, every Spartan that saw minutes also contributed in the scoring column. Also for the 2nd time in as many games, Upstate broke the century mark, going over 100 on a dunk from Nic Book with 4:00 to play. The bench played a huge role in that, scoring 60 of the Spartans’ 114 points in the game, marking the 2nd straight game where they hung 60 or more (68 against Southern Virginia).

“You know what? Everybody has stepped up”, said USC Upstate head coach Marty Richter of his bench effort. “Some nights, some guys have scored more than others. Tonight, Isaiah Skinner grabbed 12 rebounds {which led the team} off the bench. Kanye Jones scored in double figures with 10 – all off the bench. Chico {Johnson} got 8. Guys are stepping up into their roles. That is part of early season basketball – figuring out what everybody is and telling them where I think they are. Sometimes people don’t understand what their role is so they keep doing the wrong things. But, we are trying to make sure everybody knows within the program.”

In addition to being the 2nd game in a row with 60+ bench points, this matchup marked the third consecutive in which Upstate had 4 or more scorers in double figures – led by the duo of Bendinger and Adkins who tied with 17 points a piece. Bendinger shot 8 for 12 from the field and 1 for 3 from the free throw line with 4 rebounds and 3 assists while Adkins had his 2nd straight game where he made 5 or more threes, going 5 for 8 from beyond the arch and 2 for 4 at the line with 5 boards and 2 assists.

“Carmelo and Mason have done a really good job at what they are supposed to do”, said Richter. “Carmelo has such a great basketball IQ and feel for the game that just makes it easier for everybody on the court. His ability to shoot the ball this year is much better than it was last year. He makes at a higher clip. He’s making good shot selections and not taking as many contested shots, and you are seeing him be rewarded for that. Mason is such an elite scorer. You don’t have to draw a bunch of plays for him. You just have to get him the ball with a little bit of space and he is able to put the ball in the basket. He is able to make plays and that is his gift. He can score over small guys and big guys. He just knows how to score the basketball.”

In addition to those 2, Learic Davis, who got the start at Forward for the injured Garcia, added 15 points with 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Nic Book and Karmani Gregory each notched 12 with Book pulling down 5 boards and Gregory adding 3 rebounds in addition to 2 assists and a steal. Kanye Jones was the sixth to hang doubles, adding 10 points with 2 assists and 2 steals. Half of those came on a perfect 5 for 5 effort from the charity stripe.

Upstate outrebounded the Bruins 53-23 and forced 19 turnovers that led to 25 points. The Spartans also managed 14 second chance points in the game. In total, they shot 42-68 (61.8%) from the field and 13-26 from three point range (50%). To cap it all off, USC Upstate went 17 for 25 from the free throw line (68%) as a team. While one would be quick to point to the competition, these last 3 games are a huge positive for Upstate as they have seemingly taken the next step as a team – doing the little things that they were not able to for most of the season last year. That has Marty Richter optimistic – albeit with a tone of cautiousness with it being so early.

“We have played 4 games. We get to play 31 of these, 32 because of the postseason. So we are an eighth of the way through” Richter said. “You get to evaluate where you are as a team every four to eight games. What I like is that from opening night a week and a half ago to right now, we have made the next jump. We are guarding better. We share the ball at a high clip. Last game we had 295 passes. I hope we had about that many tonight. That is the deal. The guys share the ball and they don’t care who scores. As long as you take good shots, everybody who gets the ball can score.”

With their third straight victory under their belt, Upstate will shift their focus towards taking all the offensive momentum they have built and channeling it on the road this Saturday when they get back to facing division 1 mid-major competition with UNC-Wilmington –  a team that went to the NCAA tournament last year. They will be a somewhat familiar opponent for the Spartans, who dropped a close one at home in what will be exactly 1 year ago to the date when this game is played on Saturday night.

“What UNC-Wilmington has done and what their coach has done there is terrific. He does an unbelievable job. They are a really good program”, Richter stated of the forthcoming tilt. “

“We saw it last year when they beat us 89-85. We turned it into a game where we tried to outscore them. Saturday, we have to make stops and control the pace of the game. If we just try to run up and down the court and outscore them, they will beat us. But, if we make them play at our pace and share the ball like we have been doing, we will have an opportunity. Whether we are down 5 or leading with 8 minutes to go, if we keep passing the ball and defending/guarding well, we will have a chance to pull off a really good win”, Coach Richter later added.

Tip off for Saturday’s contest between the Spartans (3-1) and Seahawks (1-1) in Wilmington is set for 7:00 PM.