Box Score
HIGH POINT, NC— A 10-0 run by High Point midway through the second half was the difference in the game as Winthrop fell 64-49 at the Millis Center, Monday night in Big South Conference women's basketball action.
Winthrop cut the High Point lead to 41-40 after Dequesha McClanahan scored on a lay-up with 10:57 remaining, but on the Panthers next possession McClanahan picked up her fourth foul and had to sit. Amy Dodd made a short jumper in the paint and drew the foul from McClanahan for a three-point play and a 44-40 lead. From there, High Point scored six consecutive points from the foul line and got a three from Jurica Hargraves to increase the lead to 11 points and Winthrop never recovered.
The Lady Eagles (9-9, 3-3 Big South) finished 4-for-17 from the field and 1-for-6 from the foul line over the final 11 minutes of the game while High Point was 7-for-12 from the field and 8-for-12 from the foul line. Winthrop was outscored 23-9 in that span. High Point finished the game shooting 38 percent from the floor, but was 16-for-26 at the foul line. Winthrop finished shooting 38 percent as well, but managed to shoot just 44 percent from the foul line (7-for-16).
Shamia Brown hit a jumper to open the half for the Panthers and push the lead to nine, but Winthrop fought back. The Lady Eagles got the lead down to three points with back-to-back baskets inside by TaQuoia Hammick and two free throws by Mary Hathaway at the 17:20 mark. Erin Reynolds, who started the game due to an injury to Frances Fields, answered right back with a three pointer to push the lead back to six, 35-29. Reynolds finished the game with 18 points (two shy of her career-high) as she was 5-for-10 from the floor and 3-for-6 from behind the arc.
Both teams struggled offensively over the first 10 minutes of the game as the game was tied 12-12. Reynolds hit a jumper for a 14-12 lead before McClanahan stepped up and hit a straight away three for a 15-14 lead. That was the last lead of the first half for Winthrop as Reynolds reeled off eight more points in a row for an 8-2 run that put the Panthers in front 22-17. A couple of LaTeisha Dean jumpers and a free throw by Cheyenne Parker gave High Point a 27-20 lead at the break.
The Lady Eagles made four of their first 10 shots, but then finished the half only 4-for-13 from that point for 35 percent shooting. High Point shot 33 percent from the floor in the first half, including 3-for-13 from behind the arc. It was the 14th game of the season in which Winthrop held an opponent under 30 points in the first half.
High Point (9-10, 3-3 Big South) jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead as Brown scored inside and Hargraves drilled a three from the wing. Winthrop came back to take a 6-5 lead after two Hathaway free throws.
Brown added 16 points while Dean came off the bench to score nine points and pull down six rebounds.
McClanahan led Winthrop with 18 points and also had six rebounds and three steals. McClanahan was the only Lady Eagle in double-figures as Hammick added nine points and 10 rebounds. Hathaway finished with eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Winthrop returns home for its next contest after its two-game road swing when it takes on Liberty on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m.
