S..C. State Women Knock Off USC Upstate 60-50

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina –  Senior guard Kourtney Williams had game-highs of 18 points and three blocks, while teammate junior guard Amber Howard tallied 14 points and six rebounds to lead the South Carolina State women's basketball team to a 60-50 win over USC Upstate on Wednesday night at the S-H-M Memorial Center.
 
Upstate (3-3) got on the board first with a jumper by Brittany Clency with 18:57 left in the first half and led by four, 13-9, after a layup by Brittany Starling at the 11:28 mark. Seventeen seconds later, freshman guard Brittany Drumgoole was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer and made all three free throws. Drumgoole forced an Upstate turnover and Howard scored a bucket to give SC State (3-0) a two-point lead (15-13). With 10:31 left in the half.
 
The Lady Bulldogs extended their lead to nine, 32-23, after a pair of free throws by junior forward Toni Grier to go into halftime.
 
SC State kept the Spartans at bay the entire second period, leading by as many 17 (51-34) along the way.
 
Upstate shot 33.3 percent from the floor for the game (18-of-54), was 3-of-17 from the 3-point line and made 11 of its 19 free-throw attempts. Raven Jefferson led the Spartans with 11 points, while Starling had a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
The Lady Bulldogs were 20-of-48 from the floor, including 3-of-10 from beyond the arc. They missed just one free throw (17-of-18), but lost the rebound battle 35-33 on the boards. Junior forward Jasmine Coleman grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and added four points, two blocks and a steal.
 
The Lady Bulldogs hit the road for the first time this season when they travel to Clinton, S.C. to take on Presbyterian on Saturday.  Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.

Box Score 

Karen M. Carty, Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations
COURTESY SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION