SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Mariah Pietrowski (Elizabethton, Tenn.) set a new season-high for the second straight game with a 21-point effort to help the Presbyterian College women's basketball team earn a road win on Friday night over USC Upstate, 72-64.
PC evens its record to 4-4 on the year while USC Upstate falls to 1-7. The Blue Hose grab their first win over the Spartans since 2006, marking the first win over USC Upstate in the Division I era.
Pietrowski led all scorers with her second straight game scoring at least 19 points, and her 21 points fall just two shy of her career high. Dria David (Lawrenceville, Ga.) and Karlee Taylor (Asheville, N.C.) each posted 15 points, marking a season-high for Taylor. David also converted 11 of 12 free throws, a new career best for the junior guard.
David led PC with a game-high nine rebounds while Sherece Smith (Clemson, S.C.) provided nine points and eight rebounds on the night. The Blue Hose scored a season-best 74 points, outrebounded the Spartans, 39-31, and shot 41.5 percent from the floor to crack the 40-percent barrier for the second consecutive game. PC also outgained Upstate in the paint, 36-16.
The Blue Hose got off to a fast start, with Shonda Burnside (Gray Court, S.C.) and Pietrowski combining to get PC off to an opening 6-0 lead en route to a 10-2 advantage four and a half minutes into the ballgame. PC maintained a lead despite a 6-0 Upstate run, thanks to a Taylor slash and drive to the basket to keep the Spartans at bay, 12-8.
USC Upstate pulled even with 6:46 left in the first and grabbed a slight advantage, but a three-point play from Pietrowski tied up the game again with 2:07 left before halftime, 21-21.
Pietrowski's play gave her 13 for the half and kick-started an 8-0 Blue Hose run to end the half. Taylor knocked down a three and added two more free throws to send the teams into the locker rooms with PC ahead, 26-21. The Blue Hose held the Spartans without a field goal for the final 3:35 of the first half.
PC expanded its lead right out of the gate in the second half, going on a 17-7 run as the Blue Hose advantage swelled to 15 with 14:30 left in the game. Two and a half minutes later, Kristen Stevens (Pickerington, Ohio) knocked down a three-pointer to get the lead back to 15 and move her up in the PC record books. The trey marked the 118th of her career, giving her sole possession of sixth place in team history in that category.
Upstate crawled three points closer but Taylor took the points right back with a three-pointer of her own, getting the lead back to 15 with 9:53 to go.
The Spartans continued to score but the Blue Hose found the basket as well, scoring a season-best 46 points in the second half to keep a lead of at least eight throughout the period. David scored 13 in the second stanza and the Blue Hose shot 48 percent to stay ahead of the Spartans and seal the win.
The Blue Hose return to action in 11 days with an 11:30 a.m. home game against Columbia College on Tuesday, December 13. The game will be video streamed on the Big South Network.
