Upstate falls to South Carolina in season opener

Justin Bailey led USC Upstate with 13 points in season opener. (Photo by Ryan Frye/USC Upstate Athletics)

By Justin Mathis (@J_Math23)

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Monday night marked the commencement of the 2023-24 college basketball campaign across the country, with USC Upstate Spartans making the 90-minute ride down Interstate 26 for a clash with South Carolina. 

 

On this night, the Gamecocks claimed an 82-53 win over the Spartans in a Palmetto State showdown, marking the seventh victory for South Carolina in the eight meetings between the two schools.

 

Over the first five minutes, the Spartans traded proverbial punches with South Carolina, as Nick Alves knocked down a turnaround jumper from the right elbow with the shot clock winding down, tying the game at two. Two possessions later, Justin Bailey swished a triple from the left corner off a deflection from teammate Ahmir Langlais, which put Upstate ahead by two points, 5-3, at the 16:24 mark. 

 

Moments later, Jordyn Surratt caught an entry pass on the left block in the low post and muscled in a layup just before the shot block expired, which cut the deficit down to a 9-7 margin five minutes into the contest. Trae Broadnax also added a pair of fastbreak jumpers for the Spartans in the first half, but Upstate saw a seven-point deficit double up by the end of the half, trailing 42-28 at the intermission.

 

“Even though (Trae and Justin) led us in scoring, they can still play better,” said USC Upstate head coach Dave Dickerson. “When you’re on the road playing against a team like South Carolina who is in the SEC, you’re going to need your best players to play well. Trae will pop back – I know that and have faith in him. Justin is just a warrior. We’ve got to get everybody on the same page and South Carolina had a lot to do with a lot of our deficiencies tonight. We’re not going to see that size all year long, but even if we do, we’ll be better when we come back.”

 

South Carolina knocked down a trio of triples – two from B.J. Mack and one from Myles Stute – in the first 4:28 of the second stanza, extending the lead to 53-34 over the Spartans. Later, the Gamecocks rattled off a 13-3 run over the midway point of the half to secure the win.

 

“We didn’t play our best,” Dickerson lamented. “South Carolina played great. When a team makes 12 threes and has 45 rebounds, that’s not a good thing. Our guys played hard and we competed, but with their size, athleticism, and overall strength, we just couldn’t get anything going on a consistent basis. They took us out of a lot of stuff (offensively).”

 

Bailey paced the Spartans with a team-high 13 points, followed by Broadnax (10 points, four rebounds, three assists) and Alves (eight points, two rebounds, one assist). 

 

Four Gamecocks scored in double figures, led by Meechie Johnson and Ta’Lon Cooper (15 points apiece), along with Mack (13) and Stute (10).

 

USC Upstate will have two games in a 72 hour span coming up this weekend, as the Spartans visit SEC opponent Vanderbilt on Friday before hosting the Carolina Bruins on Sunday.