CLINTON, S.C. – After clashing in two nail-biters a season ago, it was only appropriate that trend continued Wednesday, when USC Upstate made the short trip down Interstate 26 to face Presbyterian.
In a contest that never saw a deficit larger than two possessions in either direction, Marquis Barnett drained a three-pointer with just over a minute left that propelled the Blue Hose to an 80-73 victory over the Spartans.
“We had to fight for our lives at the end of the game,” said Presbyterian head coach Quinton Ferrell. “Marquis is a very talented guy. He made the (Big South) All-Freshman team in his first year. He has obviously done a lot of good things for us, but I think Marquis is an all-conference talent. Over my history of coaching college basketball, the best thing about all these guys is that they are consistent. That’s something I have challenged him on night in and night out. He did everything for us and had a really big game.”
After the two sides played to a virtual stalemate through the first 20 minutes, a Miguel Ayesa three put Upstate ahead by two points less than a minute into the second half. Presbyterian answered with a Kobe Stewart triple and Jonah Pierce layup for a three-point cushion.
Shortly thereafter, Trae Broadnax found Ahmir Langlais in the low post for a one-handed slam, which helped Upstate build a five-point advantage – the biggest lead of the night for the Spartans – with just over 14 minutes remaining. A Kory Mincy jumper sparked an 8-0 Blue Hose run over the next two-plus minutes, which pushed Presbyterian ahead by a 51-48 margin.
Kaleb Scott drained a shot from close range, while two Trevon Reddish-Rhone baskets and a Samage Teel jumper helped stake the Blue Hose to a six-point lead. Upstate slashed the deficit down to two points with 3:11 to play, courtesy of a Langlais layup and Nick Alves fastbreak dunk.
However, Barnett would score the next seven points for Presbyterian, capped by a triple from the left wing with 1:03 remaining that created a 75-69 advantage. Upstate got a pair of fastbreak baskets – one apiece from Broadnax and Alves – but the Blue Hose made five of its last six free throws to secure the win.
“We talked about trying to get three stops in a row, which we call a kill. We only got one of those (Wednesday),” Upstate head coach Dave Dickerson stated. “We also talked about getting seven kills. Our defense, rebounding, and taking care of the basketball – the things I talk about every day – were not there when we needed them to be. This one is going to sting (because) it’s a game that we felt that we could win. I told the guys that when we come back on (Thursday) morning, we better have that eye of the tiger to claw our way out of the situation that we are in right now. I have faith in this team, the leaders we have (in the locker room), and I think we’ll be able to do it.”
Barnett posted a game-high 20 points for Presbyterian, while Reddish-Rhone tallied 14 points. Teel added 12 points, while Scott narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. The Blue Hose outscored the Spartans, 13-5, in second-chance points and compiled 46 points in the paint. Presbyterian hit 31 out of 54 shots from the field, including a 17-for-26 clip in the second stanza.
Bailey finished with a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds for Upstate, followed by Broadnax and Langlais with 14 and 10 points, respectively. The Spartans recorded 50 points in the paint and outscored the Blue Hose off the bench by a 30-25 margin. Upstate made 32 out of 61 attempts from the deck, but only made four out of 20 tries from behind the arc.
Both teams resume Big South play on Saturday as USC Upstate (6-15, 1-7) hosts Radford at 4 p.m., while Presbyterian (10-13, 2-6) hits the road to face High Point in a 7 p.m. contest.
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