Fleming Jr. leads Charleston Southern over SC Upstate 82-72

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Phlandrous Fleming Jr. knocked down 5 of 7 from 3-point range and scored 19 points to spark Charleston Southern to an 82-72 victory over South Carolina Upstate.

Travis McConico scored 13 and reserve guards Christian Keeling and Cortez Mitchell had big contributions for the Buccaneers (2-2). Keeling finished with 14 points and nine rebounds and Mitchell chipped in with 12 points and seven boards. Their efforts helped Charleston Southern outrebound the Spartans 44-29. The Buccaneers bench outscored SC Upstate 43-4.

Ramel Thompkins knocked down 9 of 13 shots from the floor, including 8 of 11 3-point attempts, and snagged nine rebounds. Jure Span hit three 3s and scored 15 for SC Upstate (1-3), while Mike Cunningham and Malik Moore scored 11 and 10, respectively. Beyond Thompkins the rest of the Spartans struggled and made 14 of 45 shots (31.1 percent).

Moore's jumper gave the Spartans an early 9-1 lead, but the Buccaneers held SC Upstate scoreless over the final 4:28 for a 38-25 halftime lead. The Spartans pulled within three points three times in the second half, on two 3-pointer from Thompkins and one from Moore, but couldn't get closer.