Converse Falls to USC-Upstate
In a game between city rivals, USC-Upstate prevailed over Converse 87-73.
Spartanburg native and USC Upstate center Yakeeshia Ross had a dominant performance with 27 points, six rebounds, and three blocks to lead the Spartans to an 87-73 victory over the All-Stars Saturday afternoon in the G.B. Hodge Center.
Converse came out hot in the first half and held a lead through the 7:21 mark of the opening 20 minutes. Sarah Watson hit a three-pointer to give the All-Stars their biggest lead, 25-17, with 10:59 to play in the half. However, Ross’ jumper with 7:05 to play gave USC Upstate a 30-29 lead and started a 13-2 run that gave the Spartans a 41-31 lead with 3:25 to play.
Converse continued to battle, cutting the lead to five points with 1:52 to go before halftime, but Ross and Nika Rutledge each scored layups and the Spartans went into halftime with a 47-40 lead.
In the second half, Converse went on a 12-2 run to tie the game at 54-54 with 15:13 to play and maintained a tie at 60-60 with 11:52 remaining. USC Upstate, though, burst through with an 18-0 run over the next six minutes to take a 78-60 lead. The lead never dipped below 11 points the rest of the game as the Spartans cruised to the victory.
USC Upstate shot 48.0% for the game and was 14-of-17 from the free throw line. Converse shot the ball equally as well, hitting 47.4% of its shots. However, the All-Stars committed 15 turnovers that led to 28 USC Upstate points.
Melissa Ballard led Converse with 17 points and three assists, while Melissa Bunce added a strong 16 points and six rebounds off the bench for the All-Stars. Watson tallied 14 points on the day for Converse.
USC Upstate improves to 2-2 on the year, while Converse falls to 1-5. Converse will host Erskine College on Tuesday November 30th at 7pm.