CHARLOTTE – USC Upstate defeated Gardner-Webb 77-76 in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Hercules Tires Big South Basketball Championships off a last-second three-pointer by Jordan Gainey with .1 second left on the clock. The Spartans recovered the loose ball after a turnover off the inbound and found Gainey drifting to his left as he stepped back and banked it in.
 
The teams traded the lead multiple times in the opening minutes and kept it close. The Spartans went on a 7-0 run to claim a 23-17. Gardner-Webb went on a 7-0 stretch of their own to reclaim the lead with six minutes left in the opening half. The run started with Lucas Stieber hitting a triple and then dishing passes to Kareem Reid down low for a pair of buckets.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs went into the halftime break leading the quarterfinal matchup 35-32.
 
Both teams got to a hot start in the second half. GWU got the opening two buckets and extended their edge to as many as seven. USC Upstate slowly started to chip away at the deficit and took the lead back 50-49 after a pair of free throws by Trae Broadnax with 13:00 minutes left to play.
 
Gardner-Webb took their lead back within a minute and held onto it until the final second of the game. In the closing minutes, Upstate brought their deficit to a point, but buckets by Reid and Anthony Selden gave the 'Dogs separation both times.
 
With 16 seconds to play, Anthony Selden was sent to the line and converted both shots. On the ensuing possession, Jordan Gainey pulled up from deep and cut GWU edge to 76-74. On the inbound, Anthony Selden caught it and tried to pass it, but it was stolen by Mysta Goodloe which led to the go-ahead bucket by Gainey.
 
Reid led GWU with 19 points while Selden had 16 and DQ Nicholas had 15. Stieber and Robinson each finished with 11. Reid and Selden led the team in rebounds as they each pulled down seven.
 
With the loss, that ends GWU's trip in the 2023 Hercules Tires Big South Basketball Championships. They finish the year with a 15-16 record.