University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Spartans Top Bulldogs, 67-60
12.21.2014 | Women's Basketball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – USC Upstate had three players score in double figures as the Spartans recorded a 67-60 victory over UNC Asheville Sunday afternoon at the Hodge Center.
The Bulldogs (3-8) were led by Shonese Jones with 20 points, while sophomore guard Chatori Major added a career-high 15 points. Tianna Knuckles came off the bench to score eight points.
Brittany Clency finished with a team-high 16 points for USC Upstate, while Kristen Dickerson and Raven Jefferson each tallied 14 points, with both notching nine second-half points.
The Spartans scored the game's first four points before the Bulldogs responded with the next eight to lead 8-4 with 15:29 left on a layup by Jones. Upstate took the lead back three minutes later when a basket from Jefferson gave it 9-8 advantage, capping off a string of five straight points. UNC Asheville took the lead back and held a three-point cushion, 13-10, with 9:31 left after a layup from Leah Wormack.
USC Upstate led by as many as four midway through the first half when a three by Mar'Lisa Braxton, her first points as a Spartan, put them in front 24-20 at the 4:34 mark. The Bulldogs outscored Upstate 14-4 over nearly a three-minute stretch to lead 34-28 shortly before intermission. Dickerson connected on three free-throws in the final 33 seconds to cut the Spartans deficit to 36-34.
Asheville quickly jumped back out to a six-point lead to start the second half when a layup by Paige Love put it in front 42-36. Upstate used an 8-0 run over the next 2:53 to go back in front 44-42 on Jefferson's layup.
The Spartans did not trail the rest of the game and would push their lead to seven, 53-46, with 9:04 to go after Dickerson made two of her ten free-throws. The Bulldogs managed to tie the game courtesy of a 10-3 run, covering 4:33, completed by a jumper from Jones. Upstate limited Asheville to just four points over the final 3:53 as the Spartans sealed the victory at the free-throw line. Clency and Dickerson combined to score the final seven points of the game, including the last five at the line, for Upstate to give it the seven-point victory.
USC Upstate finished the game shooting 35.5% (22-of-62) as a team and was successful on 19 of its 24 free-throw attempts for a 79.2% mark. The Bulldogs went 22-for-49 (44.9%) overall and 14-of-18 (77.8%) at the free-throw line.
Freshman center Bronaza Fitzgerald added seven points and four rebounds for Asheville, as senior Jeannie Buckner pulled down a team-high six rebounds in the loss.
The loss wraps up the non-conference schedule for the Bulldogs, who will take a brief break for the holidays before returning to action on Tuesday, December 30 for a Big South Conference matchup against the Liberty Flames at 7 p.m. inside Kimmel Arena.
