Box Score
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ROCK HILL, SC— Just like his predecessors at Winthrop, first-year head coach Pat Kelsey earned a victory in his first game coaching the Winthrop men's basketball program as the Eagles defeated St. Andrews, 80-48, Saturday afternoon at the Winthrop Coliseum.

Sophomore Derrick Henry scored a career-high 26 points to pace the Winthrop offense that finished the game shooting 50 percent from the floor and generated 23 points off turnovers. He led four players in double-figures as Gideon Gamble added 12 points, Christian Farmer had 11 points in his Eagle debut and Andre Smith added 10.

"It's good to have it under our belt and move on (referring to the first game and win)," said Kelsey "I gotta give a lof of credit to St. Andrews. I think they had a very sound scheme coming into the game. They were very well prepared and thought their kids played really hard so I want to give them a lot of credit."

As can be expected in a season-opener, the Eagles' offense started off a little sluggish as the team was 2-for-9 from the field to begin the game. Smith got into early foul trouble as he was whistled for his second foul at the 16:42 mark of the first half. That forced Kelsey to change up the rotation a bit but the offense responded.  

With just over 12 remaining, St. Andrews cut the lead to five points after a Marquie Smith triple but the Eagles responded with seven straight points starting with a tough basket inside from James Bourne followed by a three-pointer from Christian Farmer and capped off with a put back by Gideon Gamble off a Farmer missed behind the arc. That pushed the lead into double-figures for good and the Eagles gradually increased their lead to 25 points at the break, 41-16.

The separation began at the 11:48 mark of the first half as Bourne's lay-up sparked a 13-2 run over the next four minutes. That run was follow by a 16-6 run over the final seven minutes of the first half. After a 2-for-9 start from the floor, Winthrop knocked down 13 of its next 24 shots.

The Eagles cruised in the second half and even extended its lead to as much as 36 points at one point. Smith, who spent most of the first half on the bench, had seven points and three rebounds in the second half.

Henry finished the game shooting 8-for-14 from the field and 2-for-5 behind the arc as he also pulled down a career-best six boards. Larry Brown had a balanced stat sheet going for five points and set career-highs with nine rebounds, three assists and tied his career-best of two blocks.

St. Andrews was led by Demetrius Monroe's 17 points as he finished 6-for-11 from the field and also had four rebounds. Monroe was the only Knights player in double-figures but D.J. Carnegie added eight points and eight rebounds. The Eagles held the Knights to just 33 percent shooting from the floor and 3-for-16 behind the arc.

The Eagles are going to enjoy the win but know there is a short turn around before their next game. "We're excited about getting the victory and looking forward to Indiana State this week."

Winthrop hits the road for its next contest on Tuesday, Nov. 13 when it heads to Terre Haute, IN to take on Indiana State. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m. (EST). It will be the first time these two teams have faced each other.