Upstate comes back, hangs on to beat Presbyterian

Justin Bailey (2) brings ball up for USC Upstate during comeback win over Presbyterian. (Photo by Cora Brendle/USC Upstate Athletics)

By Justin Mathis (@J_Math23)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – “Way to rise from the ashes.”

 

USC Upstate men’s basketball coach Dave Dickerson was overheard saying that to his players outside the locker room following Wednesday night’s Big South showdown against Presbyterian College.

 

The clash between the two regional rivals had more twists and turns than a roller coaster at a theme park. Presbyterian had the ball in front of its bench with three-tenths of a second left and ran a lob play, where Trevon Reddish-Rhone got a strong look at the basket. 

 

The ball made one circuit around the cylinder and fell off the left side of the iron onto the court, as Upstate completed the comeback and held on for a 61-60 victory over the Blue Hose.

 

“We had some false movement to a back screen,” explained Presbyterian head coach Quinton Ferrell. “We had to tip it (at the basket) and couldn’t grab it, so we tried to get it at the rim. Kobe (Stewart) made a heck of a pass and Trevon got his hand on it, but it rimmed out.”

 

By the midway point of the second half, the Blue Hose had built a lead as large as 13 points, but that was when Upstate began gradually chipping away. An Ahmir Langlais close-range shot helped propel the Spartans on a 14-4 run over a near-five minute stretch that cut the deficit down to one possession with 5:03 to go.

 

Trae Broadnax knocked down a triple, followed by a Justin Bailey personal 7-0 run over a three-minute span that trimmed the Presbyterian lead to 58-55 with 3:42 left. On the ensuing possession, Marquis Barnett then weaved his way through traffic and extended the lead back out to five.

 

“It’s hard to play forward sometimes,” Dickerson stated. “I wanted our guys to play forward and downhill, and then Justin Bailey showed up. He had an unbelievable game. He’s wired to score and he made some big buckets and free throws for us. And then when you add that to what Trae Broadnax did in the second half versus the first half was unbelievable. Those two guys played really good basketball in the second half.”

 

Consecutive layups by Broadnax and Khydarius Smith in a 33-second span pulled the Spartans within one, 60-59, with 2:34 remaining. With 54 seconds remaining in regulation, Jordan Gainey made a shot in the paint, which gave Upstate its lone lead of the second half. The sophomore also provided a jolt for the Spartans with a triple from 25 feet out to beat the halftime buzzer.

 

Bailey finished with a team-high 16 points for Upstate, along with 14 points from Broadnax and eight from Gainey. Jalen Forrest scored a game-high 18 points for Presbyterian, along with 15 from Barnett. Over the last 10:03 of regulation, the Spartans held the Blue Hose to eight points.

 

“Our defense in the last 10 minutes of the game was outstanding,” Dickerson exclaimed. “We defended, we rebounded, and we took care of the basketball. The crowd (at the Hodge Center) gave us that extra energy we needed to win the game.”

 

Of note: With 10:50 left in the opening half, Upstate saw senior guard Mysta Goodloe leave the game with an undisclosed injury. No update was provided regarding the extent of his injury.

 

Both teams will return to Big South play this Saturday, as Upstate (9-9, 4-3 Big South) squares off with UNC Asheville on the road, while Presbyterian (5-15, 1-6) will host Longwood. Both games are scheduled for 2 p.m. start times, respectively.