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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – A balanced scoring attack keyed South Carolina Upstate's 76-59 win at Northern Kentucky on Saturday night in The Bank of Kentucky Center.
Torrey Craig netted 16 points to lead four USC Upstate players in double figures. Jodd Maxey added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Spartans, while Mario Blessing (11) and Fred Miller (10) also scored in double digits.
USC Upstate (14-11 overall, 7-5 Atlantic Sun Conference) used a 16-0 run in the first half to turn a 20-19 deficit into a 35-20 lead. The Spartans eventually owned a 39-22 advantage, but Northern Kentucky scored the final five points of the half to make it a 39-27 game at the break.
Northern Kentucky began the second half with an 11-6 run to cut the USC Upstate lead to 45-38 when
Tyler White buried a 3-pointer. The Spartans responded with five straight points to build a 50-38 advantage and coasted to the win.
"I thought we had really good effort out there, but USC Upstate hit some very difficult shots, and some of the guys who hit them weren't shooting well coming into the game," Norse head coach
Dave Bezold said. "They built a big lead and we fought back, but they just hit some tough shots and made big plays to take back the momentum."
Jordan Jackson led Northern Kentucky with 18 points.
Jack Flournoy came off the bench and added 11 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. The Norse (8-17 overall, 4-9 Atlantic Sun) shot 42.9 percent from the field, compared to 49.1 percent for USC Upstate.
"As tough as it's been for the last two-and-a-half weeks with some really tough losses here and there, and some difficult lessons, they're still coming in every day and trying to stay together, to fight together, and grow up in a tough environment," Bezold said. "And then, the 2-3 zone is really making it difficult for us.
Jordan Jackson is so important to us with his penetration. I know he had 18 [points], but they cut off a lot of his drives. His penetration frees up our big guys inside for more productive nights, and the 2-3 zone is taking away some of that right now."
Dean Danos added eight points and three assists, while
Jalen Billups scored six points and blocked three shots. USC Upstate finished with a 35-28 advantage on the boards and improved to 3-1 in the all-time series against Northern Kentucky.
The Norse are now 64-17 all-time in The Bank of Kentucky Center.
Northern Kentucky plays at Kennesaw State on Thursday night. The Norse conclude the two-game road trip Saturday with a game against Mercer in Macon, Ga.
