Box Score Box Score
ROCK HILL, SC—Winthrop claimed a key non-conference win on Sunday as the Eagles placed four players in double figures and snapped Jacksonville's six-game winning streak with a 73-66 victory at the Winthrop Coliseum.
The win evens Winthrop's record at 5-5 as it now prepares for two road games next week at Dayton and Kentucky. Jacksonville, which had not lost since an opening game setback to Miami (FL), now drops to 6-2.
The Eagles got off to its fastest start of any game this season as they jumped out to a 10-0 lead by the first media time out as Jacksonville missed its first four shots and turned the ball over four times. Winthrop connected on 5 of its first eight field goals and got a highlight reel tip-in from Robbie Dreher that put the Eagles ahead 8-0 with 17:11 on the clock. JU finally got on the board off a rebound basket by Graham with 14:42 remaining in the half.
The Dolphins got another follow bucket by Graham, a 3-pointer by Tevin Galvin and a basket by Ayron Hardy to trim the Winthrop lead to 12-9 with 11:10 on the clock. Winthrop led 20-13 after Valentine scored on a tip-in and two free throws and Robbie Dreher scored on a drive and two more free throws with 7:21 left to play in the period, but JU would not fold and trailed 27-25 with 3:18 on the clock following a 3-pointer from Travis Cohn. Winthrop led 32-28 at intermission as Dreher scored 12 of his 18 points by halftime.
Winthrop led 38-34 with 15:05 left in the game when Reggie Middleton was whistled for his third foul and had to b e pulled from the line-up. Graham scored inside on the next JU possession to pull the Dolphins to within a basket at 38-36. Two free throws by Dreher made it 40-36 with 14:29 to go. Valentine gave Winthrop some breathing room with his third tip-in of the game to push the lead to 42-37. Gideon Gamble's 3-pointer upped the lead to six points at 45-39 with 11:36 left in the game.
JU cut its deficit to two points again at 45-43 following four straight free throws by Hardy and Russell Powell. Following a free throw by Justin Burton Powell knotted the score for the first time at 46-46 with a 3-pointer. Gamble responded with a three of his own to put Winthrop back up 49-46 at the 9:21 mark. Burton followed 37 seconds later with a 17-footer to give the Eagles a 51-46 advantage. Graham then sandwiched a free throw and a 3-point play around a Gamble field goal to make the score 53-50 with 7:54 left to play.
Middleton came back in the game and immediately drilled a 3-pointer and Gamble then hit one of two free throws to give the Eagles a brief 7-point lead at 57-50, but that lead quickly disappeared as Graham scored inside, Keoin Palmer connected on two free throws and Alyoys Cabell drove the lane for a bucket to cut it to 57-56.
That would be as close as the Dolphins would get as Winthrop got a baseline jumper by Matt Morgan, a free throw by Gamble and back-to-back buckets by Jones to go ahead 64-58 with just over four minutes left to play. Dreher made it 68-60 with 2:09 left and the margin proved too much for the Dolphins to overcome.
Winthrop shot 44 percent for the game (23-52) and held JU to 36 percent (24-66). The Eagles actually won the game from the free throw stripe as they converted 23 of 34 compared 15 of 24 by Jacksonville. Winthrop also won the rebound battle 44-39 with Charles Corbin grabbing 11 in just his second game of the season.
