Lady Railsplitters Win Thriller

Spartanburg, S.C. - Lincoln Memorial held off a furious USC Upstate comeback to take a 60-56 win in the Allstate Insurance Women’s Basketball Holiday Classic Friday night at the G.B. Hodge Center. (Box score)

Lincoln Memorial improves to 7-2 and will play North Carolina Central on Saturday afternoon at 2:00.

USC Upstate scored just 17 points in the first half while Lincoln Memorial shot 57 percent from the floor and the Railsplitters opened a 36-17 lead at halftime.  Madeline Richards had 14 points in the first half to lead LMU.

In the second half, Upstate trailed by 16 points with 11:12 to play before mounting a furious comeback.

Ebony Johnson nailed a three-pointer to start a 16-2 run over the next eight minutes and Aisha Littlejohn’s jumper ended the run as the Spartans got within 50-48 with 3:42 to play in the game.  Littlejohn sparked the Spartans in the second half, finishing the game with eight points, all scored in just 11 minutes of playing time.

Richards nailed a three-pointer to give Lincoln Memorial a five-point lead with 3:17 to play, but Johnson converted a layup to get Upstate within three with 3:02 to play.

Richards hit a jumper to give Lincoln Memorial a five-point advantage, 55-50, with 1:43 remaining before Courtney Bradley nailed a three-pointer to get the Spartans within two, 55-53, with 1:30 to play.

After an Upstate timeout, Lady Railsplitter Wisemane Alcema was left open in the left corner.  She hesitated for a couple of seconds before launching a three-pointer that found the bottom of the net with 57 seconds to play, effectively ending Upstate’s hopes of a comeback.

Danielle Edwards made things interesting with a three-pointer of her own with 33 seconds to play and Heather Benton turned the ball over with 24 seconds to play, giving the Spartans an opportunity.  However, Kianna Smith’s three-pointer was off the mark and Betsy Bowser converted a pair of free throws with three seconds to play to seal the win for Lincoln Memorial.

Richards finished with 23 points and six assists to lead Lincoln Memorial.  Alcema added 10 points and seven rebounds.  Edwards led Upstate with 17 points, nine rebounds, and four steals.  Johnson chipped in with 14 points, six boards, and four assists.