Spartanburg, SC (SportsNetwork.com) - Fred Miller tallied 15 points and seven rebounds as the USC Upstate Spartans pulled away for a 68-53 win over the FIU Panthers in the first round of the Spartanburg Mariott Upstate Classic at the Hodge Center.

Ty Greene added 14 points and four assists for USC Upstate (4-1), which will take on Cal State Fullerton on Friday in the round robin tournament. Josh Cuthbertson provided a spark off the bench for the Spartans with 14 points and six boards.

Dennis Mavin paced FIU (3-2) with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the floor. Adrian Diaz chipped in eight points and nine rebounds.

Upstate took a 32-26 lead into the intermission despite converting only 3-of-8 attempts at the free-throw line in the opening 20 minutes of the bout. The Panthers were limited to 38.5 percent shooting from the floor in the first half.

FIU's offensive woes continued as it was held to 27.6 percent efficiency from the field, including a 2-of-9 clip from 3-point range, and committed eight turnovers after the break. Although the Spartans sank only 1-of-7 tries from 3-point range in the second half, they managed to put the game out of reach behind a 17-of-20 performance at the charity stripe.

The Panthers finished with a 36-34 advantage in total rebounds. FIU will play Wright State on Saturday.