SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The High Point University women's basketball team defeated the USC Upstate Spartans in a back-and-forth battle leading to a 72-58 HPU victory on Saturday afternoon.
Site: G.B. Hodge Center
Score: High Point 72, USC Upstate 58
Records: High Point (13-2, 2-0), USC Upstate (5-11, 0-2)
Head Coach Chelsea Banbury: "I thought USC Upstate played really hard tonight. They did a good job of making it hard for us to get to the basket and score. Fortunately, we were able to score 25 points off turnovers. Aaliyah [Collins] was huge in that, and Macy [Spencer] got her hands on a lot of balls, and deflecting passes into the post. I would like to see us run our offense a little bit better but any road win is a good win."
USC Upstate came out strong, shooting efficiently in the opening quarter to build a seven-point lead. High Point responded in the second quarter by finding its rhythm from the perimeter, sparked by key contributions from
Macy Spencer and
Aaliyah Collins, to close the half on a game-changing run. The Panthers took a 35-31 advantage into halftime and never looked back.
High Point extended the margin in the third quarter behind defensive pressure and transition scoring, holding Upstate to eight points in the quarter. Anna Hager provided a spark inside and on the glass, while Collins pushed the tempo defensively to create opportunities. The Panthers then put the game away in the fourth, shooting 75 percent from the field and outscoring the Spartans 27-19 over the final 10 minutes.
Spencer led HPU with 20 points, and six assists while Collins added 19 points, three rebounds, four assists, and three steals in another strong all-around effort. Hager finished with 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, recording a double-double.
Nevaeh Zavala added depth with an 11 point performance
The Panthers forced 22 turnovers, converting them into 25 points, and finished with 23 fast-break points to improve to 13-2 overall and 2-0 in Big South play.
Up Next: High Point continues conference action on Wednesday, January 7 at Presbyterian College for a 6:00 p.m. start.
#H3U x #GoHPU
