Two men’s basketball teams that began the Big South season with high hopes played at Templeton Center on Wednesday night trying to pick up some pieces.
Marquis Barnett picked up his share. The 6-4 junior guard from Saginaw, Mich., hit 8/10 (3/5 from three-point range) shots, scored 20 points, handed out three assists and made three steals in Presbyterian’s 80-73 victory over USC Upstate.
The victory stopped PC’s six-game losing streak and extended Upstate’s skid to four.
Both teams shot well. Presbyterian (10-13, 2-6) shot .574 (31/54) from the field and .333 from long range. Upstate (6-15, 1-7) shot .525 from the field but hit only 4/20 three-point attempts.
Upstate’s Justin Bailey scored 15 first-half points, but the Blue Hose clung to a 36-35 lead at the break. In the latter half, Bailey scored two to finish with 17.
Led by Kaleb Scott with eight rebounds and Kobe Stewart with seven, PC built a 32-25 edge on the boards.
PC led most of the way but only reached its final seven-point margin when Barnett popped a pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining. The game was tied 14 times and the lead changed 12 times.
It was a fine, exciting game, which has not been uncommon at Templeton Center, where 298 watched it live.
In addition to Barnett’s heroics, Trevon Reddish-Rhone scored 14 points, Samage Teel 12 and Scott 10.
In the second half, PC shot .654 overall and .500 from three-point range.
Trae Broadnax scored 14 points and was credited with six assists for the Spartans. Amir Langlais scored 10.
Langlais’ layup in the paint put the Spartans up five (48-43) with 14:02 remaining, but Reddish-Rhone returned the same favor at 12:14 to give the Blue Hose a one-point lead (49-48). The teams were tied three more times, but Upstate never again led.
The task will be harder on Saturday night at 7 when PC visits High Point (18-4, 7-0), which sits two games ahead of the rest of the conference field.
Take a look at the stats here.
In Spartanburg, the Spartans, who entered the night as the Big South’s women’s basketball leader, met stiff resistance from the Blue Hose, who finally succumbed, 62-58.
The teams were tied at 26 after a half, and Upstate (12-9, 7-1) led 44-43 after three quarters. Christina Kline scored 12 first-half points for the Blue Hose and led PC with 17 points. The senior from Winter Garden, Fla., hit 5/10 shots – they were all three-pointers – and popped both her free-throw tries.
Almost every stat was close: rebounds (PC, 31-30), field-goal percentage (USCU, .462-.423), assists (USCU, 13-12), turnovers (15 apiece) and steals (USCU, 8-6).
The Spartans were uber-balanced. All eight who played scored at least six points, led by Jani Levin with 13 and ex-Blue Hose Trinity Johnson with 12.
Seven scored for PC – out of nine who saw action – with Kline, Tilda Sjokvist (13) and Natalie Herrin (12) producing double figures.
Presbyterian (12-11, 3-5) returned to form after a 25-point setback at Radford, but the Hose take on High Point (11-10, 6-2) at home on Saturday at 2 p.m., riding four losses in the last five games.
Take a look at the stats here.
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