Box Score Box Score

MACON, GA— Dequesha McClanahan scored 24 second half points en route to a career-high 32 points to lead Winthrop from behind on the road in an 88-74 victory at Mercer, Wednesday evening.

With the win, Winthrop ends non-conference play 6-6 on the year and finishes .500 or better for the third straight season. Mercer falls to 3-9 overall
Winthrop used a 10-3 run to open up a 10-point lead with 6:24 remaining in the game and never let up as it even extended the lead to 18 points with 3:03 left to finish off the Bears.

The Eagles led 63-60 after a Briana Williams three-pointer, but then both teams stalled over the next two minutes before Winthrop reeled off five straight. The run started with a basket from Samiya Wright followed by a Diana Choibekova three. Williams drained another three to pull back within five points but the Eagles came right back with another Choibekova triple from the wing.

Wright drilled a jumper in transition for a 73-63 lead with 6:24 left. Both teams answered with back-to-back baskets before a TaQuoia Hammick short jumper inside put the Eagles back up by double-figures for good. The Eagles scored eight straight points for an 85-67 lead with just over three minutes remaining to ensure the win.

McClanahan, who did not play the final 9:41 of the half after picking up her second foul, took no time to get back into the game as she scored 10 points in the first four minutes and 19 seconds of the second half that gave Winthrop a 49-46 lead.

Winthrop had a lot of success getting to the basket as it finished with 40 points in the paint in the game and shot an impressive 73 percent from the field in the second half.

Mercer built a halftime advantage using the deep ball and ended up with 11 three-pointers in the game as it finished shooting 43 percent from the floor. Winthrop shot 63 percent from the floor, which is the first time since Nov. 24, 2004 that a Winthrop team shot 60 percent or better in a game.  
Winthrop jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead and turned that into a 10-3 lead with 16:54 left. McClanahan started it off with a basket off a drive and then Choibekova knocked down a three from the wing. Mercer answered with a three from Williams but then the Eagles reeled off five straight points behind two baskets from Kaitlyn Rubino.

A Tababitha Bradshaw three-pointer made it a 12-8 Winthrop lead with 15:07 remaining, but the Eagles answered with a 6-0 run for an 18-8 advantage.
Winthrop led by 10 points later in the half after Choibekova converted three free throws with 9:02 left, but then Mercer caught fire. The Bears hit five consecutive shots, three of which came from behind the arc and the Eagles 10-point lead was gone as Mercer jumped ahead 32-31 with 4:56 remaining. Mercer went on to knock down eight of its next nine shots, some contested and uncontested. The final 7:46 saw Mercer go 9-for-13 from the field. Mercer ended up shooting 55 percent from the field in the first half while Winthrop shot 52 percent.

It was the first time Winthrop had been involved in a game where both teams shot 50 percent or better in the first half since Jan. 23, 2010 at home against Gardner-Webb.

In addition to her 32 points, McClanahan dished out eight assists and had three steals. She finished the game 11-for-16 from the field and 10-for-13 from the foul line. Choibekova finished with 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting while Wright finished 6-for-10 from the field and had 16 points. McClanahan also passed the 600 career point mark. Hammick also chipped in with eight points and six rebounds off the bench.
Briana Williams led Mercer with 23 points while Ry'van Buchanan finished with a career-high 27 points. Buchanan surpassed her career-best in the first half with 16 points.

Non-conference action is over for Winthrop as it turns its attention to its Big South Conference schedule which begins on the road Saturday afternoon in Conway, SC with a 2 p.m. contest at Coastal Carolina.