Spartanburg, S.C. – Winthrop got their biggest victory of the season at USC Upstate by a final score of 67-61 on Saturday afternoon, spoiling Senior Day for the Spartans.
 
Winthrop (13-14, 7-7 Big South) | USC Upstate (15-13, 10-5) Big South)
Feb. 24, 2024 | G.B. Hodge Center
Winthrop 67, USC Upstate 61
 
How it Happened
 
First Quarter | Winthrop led 4-3 at the 7:41 mark after a jumper by Ronaltha Marc. Upstate answered with a 10-2 run to take a 13-6 lead with five minutes left but Winthrop struck back with a 9-2 rally to tie it at 15 with 1:44 left in the quarter after Elli Garnett's triple. The Spartans ended the frame with a three-pointer to lead 18-15 entering the second quarter.
 
Second Quarter | Upstate led 29-21 at the 4:41 mark thanks to an 11-6 tally in the first five minutes. The Spartans also held the Eagles to three field goals in the opening five minutes of the quarter. However, neither team scored for the next three minutes. Both teams then concluded the last minute and a half by combining to score five points. Marc's triple with 1:18 left made the score 31-24 in favor of the Spartans at halftime.
 
Third Quarter | Winthrop trailed by 10 at 39-29 at the 6:49 mark of the second half. But the Eagles continued to hang around, going on an 11-0 run to take a one-point lead at the 3:36 mark after a jumper by Jada Ryce while also holding Upstate scoreless for four minutes. However, the Spartans responded with an 11-4 run to go up 50-44 entering the final quarter.
 
Fourth Quarter | Down 55-47 with 7:43 left, Winthrop scored six points to make it a two-point game in a two-minute span. Two minutes later, Winthrop went back out in front on another Garnett score from deep. The Spartans then went ahead with two free throws but Leonor Paisana's jumper with 2:42 remaining gave the Eagles the lead. Upstate responded with a jumper a minute later to go back on top but Blessing Okoh's score while getting fouled on the very next play put Winthrop ahead to stay with 1:10 left. The Eagles extended the lead a few seconds later on Ryce's jumper after Okoh's missed free throw in which Marc got the rebound. Ryce put the Eagles up 63-59 with a free throw with 30 seconds remaining. The Spartans hit two free throws with 26 seconds to go but Ryce hit four free throws in the last 20 seconds, sealing the huge upset.
 
Statistical Standouts (Team)

• Winthrop moves to 611-905 all-time as a program.
• Winthrop moves to 210-374 in Big South regular-season games.
• Leonor Paisana is now eighth in school history in career triples made (91).
• She also now has 500 points in her career.
• Winthrop scored 16 points off turnovers to Upstate's nine.
• Winthrop scored 20 2^nd chance points to Upstate's two.
• There were a combined 22 lead changes and eight ties.
• Winthrop outscored the Spartans 23 to 11 in the fourth quarter.
• Four Eagles played more than 30 minutes and scored in double figures.
• Winthrop shot 41% from the game and 66% from the free throw line.
• Winthrop held Upstate to 16% from the field and 12% from three-point range in the fourth quarter.
• Garnett had a career-high in points and was her 2^nd double figure game in points this season.
• This was Marc's 13^th double figure game in points this season.
• This was Gasaway's seventh double-double this season.
• This was also her 14^th double figure game in rebounds and 11^th double figure game in points.
• This was Ryce's 15^th double figure game in points this season.

Statistical Standouts (Individual)

• Jada Ryce (34 min, 6-8 FT, 15 pts)
• Ronaltha Marc (32 min, 6-14 FG, 15 pts)
• Marissa Gasaway (35 min, 10 rebounds, 10 pts)
• Elli Garnett (23 min, 4-6 FG, 14 pts)

Up Next
Winthrop hosts High Point on Senior Night on Wed., Feb. 28 at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
 
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