ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Interstat) — Two teams seeking momentum in the Big South Conference will meet Wednesday when the UNC Asheville Bulldogs host the South Carolina Upstate Spartans in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball matchup at Kimmel Arena.

Both teams enter with nearly identical records, as the Spartans (6-13, 1-3 Big South) visit the Bulldogs (7-12, 2-3). Each squad is coming off a victory, with Upstate defeating Presbyterian 58-38 on Jan. 14 and Asheville winning 64-53 at Presbyterian on Jan. 17.

The game features a key matchup between two of the conference’s top guards. South Carolina Upstate will rely on Cassie Gallagher, who is coming off a dominant 24-point performance in the win over Presbyterian. Over her last five games, Gallagher has averaged 17 points, demonstrating her role as the Spartans’ primary offensive catalyst. In the Jan. 7 meeting with Winthrop, she scored 22 points in a narrow 66-64 loss.

For UNC Asheville, D’Yanna Maxey provides a scoring spark. She tallied 10 points in 20 minutes off the bench in the Bulldogs’ most recent win. Her season high of 14 points came in a conference road victory at Gardner-Webb on Jan. 7. Consistency from Maxey will be crucial for a Bulldogs team that has struggled offensively at times this season.

Beyond the individual matchups, the game presents an opportunity for both programs to climb the conference standings. South Carolina Upstate’s victory over Presbyterian snapped a four-game losing streak, while UNC Asheville has alternated wins and losses over its past five contests. The Spartans will look to build on their best defensive effort of the conference season, while the Bulldogs aim to protect their home court and secure a winning conference record.

The teams will meet again in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on Feb. 14. Following this contest, UNC Asheville travels to face Radford on Saturday, while South Carolina Upstate visits Longwood on Jan. 24.

Tipoff is set for Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Asheville.