Feb. 23, 2008

Final Stats

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Sophomore Courtney Hawkins (Greer, S.C./Greer) posted a game-high 18 points, making eight free throws and connecting on two 3-pointers, but the USC Upstate women's basketball team couldn't survive a 25-4 run that occupied the final 8:17 of the game and helped Gardner-Webb take a 65-45 win in Atlantic Sun Conference action at Porter Arena on Saturday night.

Hawkins finished with 18 points, becoming the fifth Spartan in school history to reach 400 points in a season with her third point of the night. She is currently 22nd in school history with 415 points this year, just 14 points out of the 16th slot. Hawkins also posted six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Freshman Tiffany Whiting (Troutman, N.C./South Iredell) added 11 points, including three 3-pointers, and added five rebounds and two steals. Junior Ebony Johnson (Columbia, S.C./Ridgeview) added seven points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals and junior Cherale Powell (Wilkesboro, N.C./Wilkes C.C.) added four points, five rebounds and three steals for Upstate (5-22 overall, 1-13 A-Sun).

"I liked our resiliency all night," Upstate head coach Tammy George said. "We had to keep fighting back and for 32 minutes, we did that well. In the last eight minutes, though, we just weren't able to do enough to get the win."

The Spartans fought back from an 11-point deficit with 17:46 left in the game by going on a 18-6 run that occupied the next 9:30, capped by a jumper by Johnson to give the Spartans a 41-40 lead with 8:17 left. After that, the Bulldogs (12-14 overall, 8-5 A-Sun) were able to wear down the Spartans, going on a 25-4 run during the rest of the game, with two back-to-back 3-point plays by Laura Povilonyte helping lift the Bulldogs to the win. She also added a pair of 3-pointers to give her 12 of her 16 points in the last 7:17 of the game.

The Spartans had to fight back for much of the night, falling behind by nine at 17-8 with 9:47 left in the first half, but closing within four with five straight points, capped by one of Whiting's three 3-pointers, to make it 17-13 with 8:16 left in the first half. The Bulldogs were able to take an 11-point lead at 24-13, but once again, Upstate answered with a 3-pointer from Hawkins, three free-throws from sophomore Shanea Wyant (Lafayette, Ind./Lafayette Jefferson) and a jumper from Powell helping to cut the lead to five at 26-21 at the intermission.

Povilonyte led the Bulldogs with 16 points, six rebounds and two blocks and Margaret Roundtree added 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Dominique Hudson added nine points, six rebounds and three assists and LaToya Carter also added eight points and 12 rebounds.

Upstate heads to Campbell for its final A-Sun road game of the season, with the tip time for the last women's basketball game at Carter Gymnasium, which is slated for 5:45 p.m.

Notes
The Spartans are 5-6 on Feb. 23.

Sopomore Courtney Hawkins crossed the 600-point mark in the game with the 17th of her 18 points. She is currently 23rd in school history with 601 points.

Sophomore Courtney Hawkins has posted seven straight games of 15 or more points, the longest streak of her career.

Sophomore Courtney Hawkins has scored in double figures in 21 of 26 games this year.

Junior Cherale Powell has 10 games with five or more rebounds this season, including five boards at Gardner-Webb.

Freshman Tiffany Whiting has 11 games this season with at least two 3-pointers and four with three 3-pointers. She posted three at Gardner-Webb. Whiting now has 34 3-pointers this season, four shy of reaching Stephanie Feyes (2001-02) for fifth in the school's freshman record book.