Box Score Box Score

TROY, AL— Winthrop placed four players in double-figures as it opened up the 2011-12 season with an 80-66 victory at Troy, Sunday afternoon in women's basketball action.

The Eagles had an explosive first half offensively and held on despite struggling with its shooting in the second half to give first year head coach Marlene Stollings her first victory.

"There's nothing easy about going on the road to open the season,” said Stollings. “But we not only went on the road, it was Troy's Homecoming weekend and our game was a double-header with the men. I couldn't be more proud of our young ladies at this moment. We executed our game plan at a high level with both poise and confidence."

Winthrop led 70-60 with just under four minutes remaining in the game when Tiffany Charles was fouled and went to the line to add to the lead. Charles hit the first free throw, but missed the second only to board the miss and Winthrop's Diana Choibekova hit a jumper for a 13-point lead three and a half minutes remaining for a comfortable lead.

The first half saw the Eagles build a couple of double-figure leads after trailing early and lead 48-41 after shooting 46 percent from the field. Winthrop didn't shoot the ball as sharp in the second half, connecting on five of its first 13 shots while Troy hit seven of its first 13 shots. DeAngela Sword connected on a jumper for the seventh field goal of the half for Troy with 10:47 left to cut the lead to five points. That was as close as the Trojans got as the Eagles defense allowed just three field goals the remainder of the game (3-for-16).

The Eagles extended the lead to double-figures for good with 4:32 left in the game. Winthrop even extended its lead to as much as 16 points with 2:02 left after Choibekova connected on one of her six triples.

Troy started off the game on a 9-2 run behind two three-pointers from Ieva Nagy and one from Tenia Manuel for an early lead. Winthrop responded with an 11-4 run that was ignited when Dequesha McClanahan converted a three-point play followed by a three by Choibekova, which cut the lead to three points. Troy pushed the lead back to five points, only to have McClanahan cut the lead to two points with another three-point play. McClanahan then hit two free throws to tie the game at 13-13.

“Dequesha led us start to finish by managing the game at a high level on both ends of the floor,” said Stollings. “Her play got Troy in early foul trouble and opened up the floor for other players to score.”

With the game tied at 16-16 with 13:41 remaining in the first half, Winthrop pushed the lead to eight points over the next three and a half minutes. Choibekova connected from behind the arc for a 19-16 lead and Winthrop never relinquished the lead again. The 10-2 run saw Choibekova knock down two threes and Katie Fitzgerald finish a couple of layups inside.

Troy battled back to cut the lead to five points with 6:35 in the first half, but Winthrop extended the lead back to double-figures, only to see it cut to six at the break after a quick five points from Troy in the final minute.

Winthrop's second half shooting struggles saw them open up 3-for-10 and 5-for-14, but the Eagles remained aggressive and were able to get to the foul line. Winthrop finished the game 18-for-24 from the foul line, 11-for-15 in the second half.

After both teams shot 46 percent from the field in the first half, they both cooled off in the second with Winthrop finishing at 39 percent for the game and Troy shooting 40 percent.

"Our attack mentality got there two best players, Sword and Kleeman, in foul trouble early and Sword eventually fouled out of the game,” said Stollings. “Key rebounds by our posts down the stretch helped to break their spirit of any comeback."

Choibekova finished with a game-high 22 points while McClanahan finished with 20 points. Choibekova was 7-for-20 from the field and 6-for-16 from three as she also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. McClanahan was 6-for-21 from the field, but 8-for-10 at the foul line and finished with career-high 10 assists.

Samiya Wright chipped in with 14 points off the bench as she was 4-for-8 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the arc. The fourth Winthrop player in double-figures was Katie Fitzgerald with 10 points on 5-for-9 shooting and also pulled down six rebounds.

“Samiya came off the bench and ignited us from behind the arc,” stated Stollings. “Chobie was steady from the three-point line and gave us seven big rebounds. Katie (Fitzgerald) gave us production with her aggressive play on the boards and ability to finish at the basket.”

Sarah McAppion led Troy with 19 points while Nagy finished with 14 points and Sword had 10.

The advantage on the boards was even at 42 apiece and the Eagles committed just 10 turnovers (which is the lowest for Winthrop since it had 10 on March 9, 2009 against Charleston Southern.

The 80 points were the most by a Winthrop team in a season-opener since the team scored 83 in a win over Memphis in 2006. It also ended a losing streak of three straight season openers.

“All wins are special but getting this first win on the road, in a tough environment speaks to the determination and fight of our team,” added Stollings. “I am so happy for them to get this win and start the season 1-0 heading home to host our tournament. Coach Kevin Cook surprised me after the game by convincing Troy to give me the game ball for my first-ever win as a head coach, classy.”

Next weekend will mark the Lady Eagles' home opener when they host the Winthrop Classic, a three-day and four-team event. Winthrop will open up on Friday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. against Bradley. Winthrop will face Niagara on Saturday at 3 p.m. and Stetson on Sunday at 3 p.m.