Spartanburg, S.C.—Senior point guard Christina Carlis posted a career high 37 points and three other Crusaders scored in double figures as North Greenville sprinted past Divison I USC Upstate 75-57 to open the 2011-2012 season.

Carlis collected four rebounds and had five takeaways on defense to add to her strong offensive performance. Her 27 points led all scorers. The trio of Krisceda Cotton, Karly Stache, and Erin Gray also posted double figure scoring nights with 12, 11, and 10 points respectively. Cotton led the Crusaders with 8 rebounds.

In the first half of play, neither team was able to get the upper hand as the squads traded the advantage five times. The Crusaders led by as many as eight in the first segment but the Spartans battled back to cut the NGU lead to one at intermission.

The first ten minutes of the second half would be just as competitive as the first with neither team grabbing the momentum. While NGU trailed just twice in the second period, the Crusaders were unable to extend their lead past four points. USC Upstate grabbed its biggest lead of four points with 13:52 left in the game.

After the ninth tie of the game, the Crusaders started to pick-up momentum and went on a 22-6 run. In the second half, the Crusaders shot 50% from the field putting the game on ice. For the Game NGU was 43.3% from the floor and were 1-2 from three-point range for the night.

NGU out rebounded the Spartans 45-34 while also shooting 80% from the charity stripe.

“This was a great win and I an very proud of the girls and the way they responded,” remarked head coach Jayne Arledge after her teams season opening win. “This should surely go down as one of our biggest wins in the last few years.”

“I was also very pleased with how played, the teamwork was awesome and we played together. “

The Crusaders win over the Spartans puts them at 1-0 on the season. They will be back in action on November 15^th when they travel to Charlotte, North Carolina to take on Johnson C. Smith. North Greenville’s home opener will be on November 21^st against Emmanuel College in a rematch of last seasons NCCAA South Regional Finals.