CLINTON, S.C. -- Francois Lewis scored 16 points, Cory Hightower had 13 points and eight rebounds and Presbyterian beat Big South newcomer South Carolina Upstate 64-61 on Saturday in a conference opener.

With PC ahead by three, Hightower' shot in the paint rolled out and USC Upstate got it to midcourt to call a timeout with 18.9 seconds left. The Spartans passed it around the arc and Deion Holmes' long 3-pointer hit the back of the iron.

Freshman Adam Flagler added 10 points for Presbyterian (9-7), which won its third straight game. The Blue Hose was just 3 of 12 from 3-point range but made 25 of 33 free throws compared to USC Upstate's seven attempts at the stripe.

Holmes scored 21 points with three 3-pointers and Malik Moore, averaging 17.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, scored 18 points with two boards for USC Upstate (5-11).

Despite being relatively close, the two schools have met just twice since PC joined Division I in 2007.