Upstate caps off 12-point comeback, sweeps Presbyterian

By Justin Mathis (@J_Math23)

CLINTON, S.C. – For the better part of Wednesday evening’s contest at the Templeton Center, Presbyterian looked like the better team against USC Upstate. However, the final five minutes were a different story. 

A bevy of key plays down the stretch helped the Spartans come back from a double-digit deficit to claim a 59-57 road victory over the Blue Hose, sweeping the season series in Big South play.

 

A pair of Trevon Reddish-Rhone free throws put Presbyterian ahead by a 51-39 margin with 8:16 remaining, the largest lead of the game for the Blue Hose. Not long after that, the Spartans began piecing together a rally. 

 

A Trae Broadnax basket, Floyd Rideau 3-pointer, and two driving layups – one apiece from Jordan Gainey and Justin Bailey – over a three-minute stretch cut the Presbyterian lead down to three with just under two minutes left. Mysta Goodloe then drew a charge with 1:01 to play, which set up the dramatic finish.

 

“Justin had a tough night from the field,” USC Upstate head coach Dave Dickerson said. “He probably took some ill-advised shots early, but he stayed with it. He’s a tough kid and made some big time shots for us down the stretch. I thought the play of Mysta and Floyd really gave us the right to win the game.”

 

On the next Spartan possession, Gainey drained a triple from the top of the arc, tying the game at 57 with 46 seconds remaining. After pulling down a defensive rebound, Upstate set up one last play with 26 seconds left in regulation.

 

Broadnax caught a pass on the wing, drove down the baseline, and drew a defensive foul. The redshirt sophomore was as cool as the other side of the pillow, knocking down both free throws for a two-point Upstate lead with 10.3 seconds left.

 

“Everyone was on the perimeter,” Broadnax explained. “There wasn't any weak side help. I saw that and thought I had an advantage on the defender. Being confident and aggressive are the two best things I can do as a basketball player. Everything else will open up for me if I just stay confident and aggressive.”

 

A stingy defensive front by the Spartans did not allow Presbyterian to attempt a shot on the final possession, which allowed Upstate to close the game on a 9-0 run and secure a win in its last regular season road game. 

 

Three Spartans finished in double figures, as Bailey paced Upstate with a team-high 14 points. Gainey also finished with 12 points, along with 11 points and nine rebounds from Broadnax. Khydarius Smith also tallied eight points and 10 boards for Upstate.  Reddish-Rhone finished with a game-high 16 points and eight rebounds for Presbyterian.

 

The trio of Goodloe, Broadnax, and Smith combined to pull in 28 of the 41 total rebounds in the game for Upstate. 

 

“This was a good win for our guys,” stated Dickerson. “Give credit to Presbyterian because those guys were ready to play and dominated us for about 35 minutes. This game reminds me of a hot workout in June or July where guys want to give up or give in, but we did not. Our toughness and connectedness came to fruition over the last five minutes of the second half.”

 

Both teams will wrap up conference play on Saturday afternoon as USC Upstate (14-14, 9-8 Big South) hosts Gardner-Webb at 2 PM, while Presbyterian travels down to Charleston Southern for a 4 p.m. matchup.