USC Upstate Upends NSU, 71-64

NORFOLK, Va. -   USC Upstate rallied from a 16 point second half deficit and pulled away from Norfolk State in a clash of the Spartans to defeat NSU, 71-64,  in overtime on Thursday night at Joseph Echols Hall.

Upstate's Tee'Ara Copney had 16 points to lead three Upstate (1-2) players in double figures. Rae Corbo had 15 points and Quineshia Leonard had a career-high 14 points and 11 rebounds for NSU (1-1).

Lauren McRoberts led Upstate into overtime hitting a jumper with 20 seconds left in regulation.  Kashay Barnes and Rachel Gordon tried to close the game but their efforts were unsuccessful.

NSU shot only 18 percent (2-of-11) from the floor and 34.2 percent (26-of-76) on the game.

Corbo scored all 15 of her points in the first half to help NSU take a 32-24 halftime lead.  She left the game with an injury in the second half.

Recca Trice added nine assists and three steals while Gordon tallied 12 rebounds for NSU.

Hawkins had 14 off the bench and McRoberts added 13 for Upstate.

For the complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com

Lady Tigers Fall To South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Savannah State women's basketball team fell to the University of South Carolina  47-78 in a televised matchup at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina Thursday evening.

Newcomer Andrietta Thomas led the Lady Tigers with 12 points, followed by season point's leader Ezinne Kalu with 10. Transfer Erin Hogue put up nine points and led the team in rebounds with seven.

The Gamecocks came out firing, as Ieasia Walker dropped a 3-pointer less than a minute into the game to give the home team a 3-0 advantage. Eight minutes later South Carolina extended that lead to 16-1 behind a jumper from Khadijah Sessions.

The Lady Tigers managed good looks in the opening minutes, but struggled to drop the ball, missing 10 straight shots in the first five minutes of the game.

Trailing 2-16, Hogue sank a jumper that sparked some offense for SSU. Kalu added a layup for a 19-6 score with 10:51 left in the first half.

South Carolina turned up the offense with a 10-1 run, taking a 30-7 lead with 6:16 left to play in the half. Andrietta Thomas ended the run with a short jumper, while Hogue added a good free-throw for a 33-10 score at the 4:13 mark.

Thomas added six more points in the last few minutes of the half to help cut the deficient. The Gamecocks went into the locker room with a 40-20 lead.

South Carolina continued its offensive prowess in the second half, starting the second twenty off with a 7-0 run to take a 47-20 lead.

Jasmine Norman sank a 3-pointer with 17:34 on the clock to end the Gamecocks run. Norman added a layup a couple minutes later, cutting the score to 25-51.

Despite some late offense, the Lady Tigers continued to struggle against the mounting lead of the home team. South Carolina went up by as much as 36 points in the second half. The Gamecocks attempted 25 three pointers, making nine of them.

SSU shot at a 46.3 percent clip from the floor, and hit 56.3 percent of their free-throws. South Carolina shot 46.3 percent from the floor and 53.8 percent from the charity strip.

For the complete story, visit www.ssuathletics.com