The UNC Asheville women’s basketball team was able to grind out a 68-65 win over USC Upstate in the annual Play 4 Kay game on Saturday, Feb. 4.

The teams battled to a 7-7 deadlock through the first three minutes and change, before Asheville would tie things up with under four minutes to play in the quarter on a Dakota McCaughan three-pointer from McKinley Brooks-Sumpter. After trading buckets up to 16-16, Upstate would go ahead by two on a Rebekah Gordon layup with a minute to play before Faith Adams would knock down a triple inside the final minute off an assist from Mallory Bruce as the Bulldogs took the 19-18 lead to the second.

The Bulldogs controlled the second quarter from the start, holding Upstate to just six points in the period. After the Spartans tied the game at 19 to start the quarter, the Bulldogs went on a run to go ahead 27-20 just before the halfway point of the frame. The Bulldogs would stretch the lead into double digits before taking a 36-24 lead to the break.

Upstate cut into the lead at a few different points in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs responded well and maintained an eight-point lead headed to the fourth.

Upstate chipped into the lead further in the first minute of the fourth, but the Bulldogs pushed the lead back up to 10 off a three-pointer from Jamaya Blanks two minutes into the period. Asheville held the Spartans at a few possessions’ distance going into the final three minutes, before McCaughan knocked down another triple to stretch the lead to 13. Upstate would mount a comeback with a run in the last two minutes cutting the lead to as little as two, before Asheville hung on for the home court victory.

Asheville converted 19 points off 14 Upstate turnovers, while also outscoring the Spartans 36-15 off the bench. The Bulldogs also scored 22 points in the paint, eight on second chances and six on fast breaks. McCaughan led the Bulldogs with 18 points, just two off her career-high while tying a career-high with six made three-pointers. McKinley Brooks-Sumpter also scored 13 points in the game notching a new career-high going 7-8 from the charity stripe, while Blanks added 10 points tying a career-high in field goals made. Faith Adams added seven points, while Abigail Wilson had six and Jordaynia Ivie and Nycerra Minnis each had five. Mallory Bruce and Jamia Blake each also had two points in the win. Asheville won the battle on the boards 35-33, led by five rebounds apiece from Brooks-Sumpter, Wilson and Minnis. Blanks and Bruce each had three, while McCaughan, Adams, Ivie and Blake each pulled down two boards in the game. Millie Brown and Jada Brigman also each had one rebound in the game. Ivie set a new career-high with six helpers, while Brooks-Sumpter had four and Bruce had three. McCaughan also had two and Blanks also had one. Ivie and Brooks-Sumpter each registered two steals in the game, while Abigail Wilson had the lone rejection in the game for Asheville.

Asheville hits the road again on Wednesday (Feb. 8) to take on Winthrop in Big South Conference action. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. from the Winthrop Coliseum.