SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Jasmine
Herron hit a running, off-balance eight-foot jumper at
the buzzer to lift Armstrong Atlantic State to a 73-71 victory
over USC Upstate in the Hodge Center Wednesday night.Armstrong Atlantic State improves to 15-11 overall and 10-9 in the Peach Belt Conference. The Pirates host North Georgia Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in Savannah. USC Upstate falls to 14-12 overall and 11-8 in the league. The Spartans host Augusta State Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in the regular season finale.
Herron’s heroics capped a thrilling final five minutes of the game. Armstrong Atlantic State led by four with a little over five minutes to go before Toya Shuler cut into the lead with a pair of free throws for the Spartans with 5:07 to play. Tana Griffiths put the Pirates back on top by four with a layup with 3:29 to play, but Shanita Porter made it a one possession game when she converted 1-of-2 free throws for USC Upstate.
Shavon Thompson hit a layup to cut the Armstrong Atlantic State lead to one, 64-63, with 2:47 to play. After a Lacey Willis free throw and a missed shot by USC Upstate, Audosha Kelley hit a jumper to give the Pirates a four-point lead, 67-63, with 1:56 to play. Yakeeshia Ross’ layup got the Spartans within two and Porter converted a layup to tie the game at 67-67 with 55 seconds to play.
Alicia Durham gave Armstrong Atlantic State the lead again on a jumper with 47 seconds to play, but Shuler answered with a jumper of her own to tie the game at 69-69. Kaneetha Gordon converted a layup with 10 seconds to play to give the Pirates a two-point advantage, but Shuler got up the court quickly to tie the game with a driving layup with five seconds on the clock. After a timeout, Herron took the ball near midcourt and raced down the left sideline and then the baseline, letting go of the shot with 0.7 seconds on the clock. The ball swished through the net as the buzzer sounded and Armstrong Atlantic State took the thrilling win.
The teams battled hard in the first half as well, with Armstrong Atlantic State clinging to a 37-32 lead at halftime.
Herron finished with just four points on the night, but two of the four were the biggest points of the game for either team. Durham led Armstrong Atlantic State with a game-high 28 points. Peaches Howard added 10 points as the only other Pirate to finish in double figures.
Porter had another outstanding night for USC Upstate, finishing with 17 points and 15 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double. Shuler added 16 points, while Julia Blandin had a strong 10 points and four boards. Ross added eight points and 14 rebounds to go with three blocked shots.