Upstate turns tables in rematch with Charleston Southern

Khydarius Smith finishes throwdown slam as USC Upstate avenged earlier loss to Charleston Southern. (Photo by Cora Brendle/USC Upstate Athletics)

By Justin Mathis (@J_Math23)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – As the lyrics from a Jerry Reed song famously state, when you’re hot, you’re hot”

 

After dropping a five-point decision in the first meeting with Charleston Southern earlier this season, USC Upstate caught fire in its return match with the Buccaneers, pulling away for a 77-60 victory.

 

A Claudell Harris, Jr. 3-pointer staked CSU to a one-point lead less than a minute into the contest, but Trae Broadnax’s layup 18 seconds later quickly put the Spartans back in front. Just over two minutes later, Broadnax beat the shot clock with a right corner triple and increased Upstate’s lead to six points. 

 

“(His court vision) is getting better,” said USC Upstate head coach Dave Dickerson. “The thing I realized back in December was that this is his first year playing college basketball. He went to Navy, but he didn’t play. When Jalen Breazeale went down with an injury, (Trae) was thrust into being our starting point guard. There’s a lot that he has to learn and still see, but I want him to be aggressive because he’s a really good scorer for us as well.”

 

Just past the midway point of the half, the Spartans had made 11 of their first 17 shots from the deck, which sparked a 15-2 run over a five-minute, 57-second span that turned into a 27-12 advantage for Upstate. During that flurry, Jordan Gainey drained a triple on consecutive possessions, while Khydarius Smith threw down a left-handed highlight reel dunk off a Broadnax assist.

 

Upstate’s outburst extended to 23-5 when Justin Bailey went on a personal 6-0 run of his own that featured a triple and fastbreak layup. The Spartans took an 18-point lead into the intermission, having made 16 of 29 attempts from the floor and six of ten from behind the arc.

 

“(Justin) is talking more,” Dickerson pointed out. “At one point, he didn’t talk and the only thing he did was smile, so we called him ‘Smiles’. I haven’t seen him have a bad day and he’s been here since June. That’s the sign of a guy that can play a lot of minutes. He’s such a good teammate and I think that’s the most infectious thing about him.”  

 

In the second half, Charleston Southern continued to battle and chip away. A Tyeree Bryan jumper sparked an 8-0 run for the Bucs that trimmed the deficit to 52-40 with 13:13 to play, but a personal 7-0 run by Gainey, featuring a fast break dunk, extended the Upstate lead to 19 points with less than 12 minutes left.

 

In total, Upstate made 30 shots on 56 attempts on the night, while also draining 12 of 27 tries from long distance. CSU knocked down 22 of its 60 shot attempts. The Spartans also picked up 27 points from their bench, while the Buccaneers had 13.  Upstate also won the battle in the paint by a 28-20 margin and only committed 10 fouls.

 

“We’ve talked about having courage to be a good team and to overcome some of our weaknesses,” Dickerson stated. “We’ve also discussed strengthening some of our strengths. Our guys did a hell of a job tonight really defending and rebounding the basketball, which gave us the chance to play Upstate basketball.”

 

Three Spartans finished in double figures, led by Gainey with a game-high 20 points. Bailey scored 15 points, while Broadnax finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. For the Bucs, Bryan also scored a game-high 20 points, along with 14 from Harris.

 

Both teams continue Big South play on Saturday, as USC Upstate (11-13, 6-7 Big South) travels to Winthrop for a 5 p.m. matchup, while Charleston Southern (8-16, 4-9) hosts Radford at 5:30 p.m.