SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Presbyterian College women's basketball team (2-15, 0-4 Big South) dropped a road contest on Wednesday night (Jan. 14) to USC Upstate, suffering a 58-38 loss at the G.B. Hodge Center.

The Blue Hose grabbed a 12-10 lead after the first quarter, but the Spartans controlled the rest of the proceedings in Spartanburg. USC Upstate outscored Presbyterian 48-26 over the final three periods and held the Blue Hose to just 25.9 percent shooting for the game. USC Upstate also dominated the glass, outrebounding PC 41-30 on the night. On the defensive end, the Blue Hose forced 21 Spartan turnovers for the game and recorded 10 steals.

Ja'Cia Cunningham paced the Presbyterian offense for the second straight game, leading the Blue Hose with 12 points. She drained three three-pointers for the game, setting a new season-high and tying her career-high. She also tied the team lead with three steals against the Spartans. On the season, she has now scored in double figures eight times to lead the team. 

Krystal Haddock added nine points for the Blue Hose, while Ore Ogunwolere pitched in seven. Amani Williams made her first career collegiate start for Presbyterian, grabbing a career-high seven rebounds. Defensively, she also logged a career-high three steals. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Ore Ogunwolere had the hot hand in the early going, scoring seven of the Blue Hose's first nine points of the evening. Morgan Boyd scored the first points of the night for Presbyterian before Ogunwolere scored PC's next seven to give the Blue Hose an early 9-4 lead over the Spartans. USC Upstate closed the gap to one, but an Amani Williams layup helped PC go up three with an 11-8 lead halfway through the quarter. Both teams struggled to score down the stretch of the opening period. However, a Daniella Velez free throw helped PC grab a 12-10 advantage after 10 minutes of play. The Blue Hose forced 5 Spartan turnovers in the first quarter.

Second Quarter
Ja'Cia Cunningham was on fire to begin the second quarter, making back-to-back threes in Presbyterian's first two possessions of the quarter to give PC an 18-12 lead. However, USC Upstate flipped the script over the next several minutes of the game, going on a 9-0 run to take a 21-18 lead. The second basket of the game from Williams ended the run, but the Spartans controlled the rest of the period. USC Upstate finished strong to grab a narrow 26-22 advantage going into the second half. Cunningham and Ogunwolere combined for 13 of PC's 22 total points in the first half.

Third Quarter
The Spartans continued their momentum in the second half, opening the half on a 5-0 run. Cunningham made a layup off a steal to get PC on the board, but a 7-0 run in the middle of the quarter gave USC Upstate a 38-24 advantage late in the quarter. In the closing minutes of the third, Krystal Haddock got going for the Blue Hose, helping Presbyterian chip into the Spartan lead. A layup from Haddock followed by Cunningham's third three-pointer of the night cut the Blue Hose deficit to just 42-35 entering the fourth quarter. The Blue Hose continued to turn the Spartans over in the third quarter, forcing 6 USC Upstate turnovers.

Fourth Quarter
The Spartans separated from the Blue Hose in the final quarter, opening the period on a 12-0 run. Haddock got Presbyterian on the board late in the fourth quarter, but the Spartans held PC to just three points in the final period. The Spartans cruised in the end in Spartanburg to a 58-38 victory in Big South action.

UP NEXT
The Blue Hose return home this weekend to face UNC Asheville on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 17) at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN+.