RADFORD, Va. – It was a chaotic first half, filled with fouls and turnovers, as both teams came out looking to be physical and play with intensity on the defensive end.
The visiting Spartans got the scoring started with a layup on their first possession, but the Highlanders took over for the next five minutes, racing out to a 14-2 lead. USC Upstate bounced back following a timeout, going on a 7-1 run of their own to get back into the race.
With a combined 16 fouls and 16 turnovers in the first half alone, it was tough for either side to get going on offense. With a last second jumper hitting nothing but net for USCU, Radford took a 27-24 lead into the break. It was back-and-forth throughout the second half as the Highlanders would build a lead and the Spartans would chip away at it.
After leading by as many as 12 points in the first half, Radford regained a double-digit advantage, 42-32, at the 15:00 mark. The battled continued as USC Upstate made it 54-50 with just over five minutes left to go. With the scoreboard reading 59-58 in favor of the Highlanders and just 25 seconds left in regulation, Kenyon Giles drilled a step-back jumper that was ruled a two. The Spartans then surged to the other end of the floor, getting an old-fashion three-point play to tie the game at 61, setting up for an exciting finish.
Bryan Antoine led the Highlanders with 18 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including a 3-of-6 from three-point range. Giles added 15 points and Smith had 10 points