Nov. 17, 2008

Final Stats

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - It was a good night for the USC Upstate women's basketball team. Not only did the 93-52 win over NAIA school Montreat improve the Spartans to 2-0 for the first time since the 2003-04 season, the team blew past several of their former DI-game records during their season opener in front of 473 fans at the Hodge Center on Monday night.

Here are some of the statistical anomalies of the night:
- The Spartans set DI-era records for points (93), shooting percentage (57.4), 3-point shooting percentage (57.1 percent), assists (27) and steals (16).
- Sophomore Courtney Hawkins (Greer, S.C./Greer) scored more points (16) than minutes she played (14) to lead the team.
- Four Spartans scored in double figures for the first time since a 80-68 win over Charleston Southern on Nov. 16, 2007 and three others scored at least eight points.
- The Spartans had two players lead the team with five rebounds and yet the team outrebounded the Cavaliers, 41-31.
- Playing just 14 minutes, senior Courtney Bradley (Columbia, S.C./Dutch Fork) posted five assists.
- Sophomore Chelsea McMillan (Quincy, Fla./Santa Fe C.C.) blocked four shots, the most for Upstate in the DI era and most since Ebony Johnson swatted four shots at Francis Marion on Jan. 25, 2007.

Upstate (2-0 overall) got off to a quick start, shooting 67 percent (20-for-30) in the first half, hitting six 3-pointers to take a 48-21 lead before the half. Upstate took a quick 2-0 lead on a layup from Hawkins and then McMillan stopped in front of a pass, ran the court and hit a turnaround jumper. After a steal by freshman Kendra Wallace (Hurricane, W.Va./Nitro), senior Ebony Johnson (Columbia, S.C./Ridge View) hit a jumper making it 6-0. Even after a Montreat 3-pointer, the Spartans kept the pressure on as a 3-pointer from Wallace put Upstate up 15-3 and a layup by Johnson extended the lead to 18-3.

A layup from McMillan with 8:32 remaining put Upstate up 37-8, the largest lead of the half for the Spartans. Even after a going 5:32 without a field goal, the Spartans still held a 38-16 lead before a layup by junior Kolesia Richardson (Mary Esther, Fla/Santa Fe C.C.). The Spartans finished the half on a 8-3 run, as another three from Wallace brought the Spartan lead to 27 before the half.

The Cavaliers and Spartans played even for the first four minutes of the second half when the Spartans used a layup by McMillan to ignite a 17-3 run capped by a layup from sophomore Sam Frost (Baltimore, Md./North Greenville Univ.) that made it 77-33 with 10:05 left in the game. The Cavaliers (2-1 overall) cut the lead to 34 points with six minutes left and kept it around a 35-point deficit until the Spartans went on another 6-0 run in the last three minutes of the game.

Hawkins added four assists and three steals while scoring 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting and she also nailed two trifectas. McMillan posted 11 points to go with four rebounds, four blocks and two steals and freshman Lesley Daniel (Collinwood, Tenn./Collinwood) added 11 points, hitting three treys in as many attempts, and adding three assists. Johnson posted 10 points, five rebounds and she tied a career-high with six assists.

Richardson posted nine points, three assists, two steals and two rebounds. Freshmen Chelsey Peterson (Irmo, S.C./Dutch Fork) and Wallace each had eight points, with Peterson posting three rebounds, two assists and a block and Wallace notching two 3-pointers, four rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Brittany Johnson (Tulsa, Okla./Allen C.C.) added six points and five rebounds. The Cavaliers were led by Chazaree Wright, who posted 22 points, eight rebounds and two assists and Janel Cox, who finished with five points and six assists. Whitney Boone added 10 points and three rebounds.

The Spartans stay at the Hodge Center for a Thursday matchup with South Carolina rival, Charleston Southern. The game tips at 7 p.m.

Notes
- The Spartans are now 25-9 all-time in home openers at the Hodge Center. This is the first time in the DI era that Upstate has won their home opener, losing the first DI home opener to IUPUI, 65-56.
- With the win, head coach Tammy George improved her career record to 77-76 overall. She is in her sixth year as a head coach.
- With her 16 points, sophomore Courtney Hawkins stays into 19th-place on the Spartans all-time scoring list with 692 career points, eight behind Valerie Scott (1993-95), who finished with 700.
- This is the first time in the DI era that Upstate has scored 90 points and the final 41-point margin is also the largest of the DI era.
- With her five assists, senior Courtney Bradley has 329 in her career, six behind Angelina Gordon (1994-97) for second on the school's career list. Gordon holds the school record for assists in the NCAA era (1990-present).