ST. THOMAS, VI--Taj McCullough scored a career-high 21 points to lead three players in double figures as the Winthrop Eagles opened the Paradise Jam tournament with a 72-58 win over Illinois-Chicago to set up a winner's bracket matchup with Georgia Tech on Sunday night.
Winthrop improved to 2-0 on the season and won for third time in the Paradise Jam against just one loss. The Eagles went 2-1 in 2003 as they took home the third place trophy.
Behind McCullough's 11 first half points and the spark off the bench from freshman point guard Justin Burton, Winthrop jumped out to a comfortable 40-24 lead at intermission.
The Eagles came out smoking from the floor in the first half as they shot 57 percent (15-26) and finished the game with a very respectable 48 percent (26-54). Winthrop connected on 9 of 20 from behind the 3-point arc. The well-known Winthrop defense was in evidence as well in the opening period as it held the Flames of UIC to just 36 percent shooting from the floor (9-25).
McCullough connected on 6 of 11 field goals, including three from behind the 3-point arc, and was a perfect 6 of 6 from the free throw line. He also grabbed seven rebounds as the Eagles won the battle of the boards by a commanding 34-24 margin. Chris Gaynor, one of two shortest players on the floor led Winthrop in rebounding with a career-high eight.
Joining McCullough in double figures were Michael Jenkins with 13 and Mantoris Robinson with a career-best 10 points.
The closest UIC came in the second half was 10 points at 58-48 with 8:29 left to play, but a 8-0 run by the Eagles thwarted any comeback hopes the Flames may have had. McCullough connected on a short jumper in the lane and followed that with four free throws sandwiched around a reverse layup from Andy Buechert to put Winthrop up 66-48 with 6:08 left in the game.
Winthrop will now face Georgia Tech, a 82-77 win over Charlotte at 6 p.m. EST on Sunday. The game will be televised live on FSN and will be broadcast on the Winthrop Sports Network on FM 107.1 with the pre-game show beginning at 5:30.
