Preview: UNC Asheville at South Carolina Upstate SPARTANBURG, S.C. (Interstat) — Two Big South Conference women’s basketball teams seeking momentum will meet Saturday when the South Carolina Upstate Spartans host the UNC Asheville Bulldogs at the G.B. Hodge Center. The matchup features teams with nearly identical records. UNC Asheville (9-16 overall) enters with a one-game edge over South Carolina Upstate (8-17). Both squads are looking to build on rare recent victories. The Bulldogs snapped a three-game skid with a 60-48 road win at Charleston Southern on Feb. 4 but are coming off a 73-45 home loss to Radford on Wednesday. The Spartans, meanwhile, ended a four-game losing streak with a 67-58 victory at Winthrop that same night. A key player to watch is UNC Asheville guard Nia Green, who has been a consistent offensive force. She scored 22 points in the loss to Radford and is averaging 17.1 points over her last seven games. Green also hit the game-winning free throw in the teams’ first meeting this season, a 57-56 Asheville victory on Jan. 21. South Carolina Upstate will counter with guard Aubrie Kierscht, who is coming off a season-high 24-point performance in the win over Winthrop. Kierscht was held to 11 points in the narrow January loss to the Bulldogs. The Spartans’ offense has struggled at times, notably in a 29-point outing against Radford on Jan. 28, but showed renewed life behind Kierscht and Cassie Gallagher, who added 22 points against Winthrop. Saturday’s contest is the second of two regular-season meetings. The Bulldogs have won three of their last five games, while the Spartans have won two of their last seven. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip-off on Feb. 14. Following this contest, UNC Asheville will host High Point on Feb. 18, while South Carolina Upstate travels to face Radford the same day.