ORANGEBURG, SC—The South Carolina State men's basketball team returns to action Tuesday (Dec. 16) at home versus USC Upstate in a non-conference battle inside Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center. Tipoff is set for 6:00 PM

OCCASION: South Carolina State will be celebration Community & Faith Night

GAMEDAY MATCHUP
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Opponent: USC Upstate (6-6; 0-0 Big South) vs. South Carolina State (0-11; 0-0 MEAC) 
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center (ORANGEBURG, SC)
 
Series vs. SC State: Upstate leads 4-1: Last Five Matchups vs. SC State: Dec. 18, 2025 (SCST 85; UPST 70); Dec. 10, 2022 (UPST 89; SCST 84); Nov. 23, 2021 (UPST 82; SCST 78); Dec. 18, 2019 (UPST 73; SCST 70); Dec. 15, 2018 (UPST 88; SCST 84) 

South Carolina State: Junior Guard, Owen Bronston Jr. Leads the Bulldogs with 12.9 points per game where he has scored in double figures eight times through 11 games played. Bronston Jr. Had his season high with 18 points against North Carolina A&T and is shooting 40 percent from the field while stretching the floor with a three-point percentage of 41 percent. At the charity stripe, Bronston Jr. Has been close to automatic with a 92 percent clip at the line.

Upstate: Redshirt Junior Wing, Learic Davis continues to be a player who makes the Spartans better when he is on the court. Davis has scored in double figures in the last three games (11,11, 14) and continues to cause havoc on the defensive end where he has forced a steal through the last eight games. Davis is fourth on the team in scoring averaging 9.0 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the field and 35 percent from beyond the arc. Davis also makes his trips to the charity stripe count where he is shooting 75 percent and continues to be a presence on the boards with 4.8 rebounds a game. Davis is second on the team with 1.0 steals a game and looks to help the Spartans get back in the win column with three opportunities this week. 

LAST TIME OUT: South Carolina State suffered a 102-78 loss to Queens (Charlotte) in their last outing. Four Bulldogs scored double figures the loss with Owen Bronston, Jr. finishing with 17 points and Jayden Johnson, Florian Tenebay and Chris Parker all with 10 points respectively. Parker grabbed a season-best 20 rebounds in the loss.
Meanwhile USC Upstate dropped a tough 62-80 decision on the road to #14 nationally ranked North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Learic Davis finished with 14 points, while Mason Bedinger added 13.

 ABOUT SC STATE ATHLETICS
South Carolina State University is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level intercollegiate athletic program. The university currently fields teams in 14 sports: women's volleyball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track & field, softball, men's and women's outdoor track and field, women's soccer and football with all teams competing in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), except for women's soccer.
 
FOLLOW SOUTH CAROLINA STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE 
There are many ways to keep up with SCSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.scsuathletics.com, the official web site of Bulldog athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more. 
• Follow us on social media:
 Facebook: /SCStateAthletics
 Twitter: @SCStateAthletic
 Instagram: /SCStateAthletics