Box Score
CHARLESTON, SC--Dequesha McClanhan converted two free throws with 17 seconds left in the game to give the Winthrop Eagles a 63-61 win over the College of Charleston Wednesday night at TD Arena.

The win was just the second all-time by Winthrop over the Cougars who still own a commanding 26-2 lead in the series. The Eagles record is now even at 3-3 while CofC falls to 2-4.

McClanahan two free throws came just seconds after Shannon Hines had tied the game at 61 all with a 3-pointer.  But the Eagles got the ball in quickly to their junior point guard and she was fouled as she took the ball into the lane.  McClanahan made amends for missing the front end of a bonus with 35 seconds left to play with her team leading by four at 60-56.

"It is great to get out of Charleston with a win.  We showed some grit and toughness tonight and were able to pull out a team victory," said Winthrop head coach Kevin Cook. 

"We were down by 10 with just under 14 minutes left, but once again our team came together,kept believing and were able to make just enough shots and made some key stops on the other end to get the victory," he said. We have been working hard on making good decisions with the ball and that showed tonight with just seven turnovers which is another big step for us. Now we turn our attention to Bradley on Saturday night and that will be another stern test for us."

McClanahan, who was held in check for much of the game, finished the game with 15 points, but nine of her points came in the final 12 minutes as Winthrop fought its way back from a 42-32 deficit.  The Eagles were led by senior Diana Choibekova who tied Charleston's talented senior post player Latish Harris for game-high scoring honors with 23 points.  Freshman center Schaquilla Nunn, grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds and scored 12 points to claim her third double-double of the season.    

Charleston opened the second half by going inside to Harris and she put the Cougars on her back in the opening eight minutes of the period by scoring eight points to give the Cougars the 10-point lead. But she was whistled for her fourth foul with 8:17 left in the game and then committed her fifth foul with 1:25 remaining and the score tied 56-56.

Winthrop was able to win despite a poor shooting night from the floor and spotty free throw shooting.  After shooting just 26.7 percent in the first half (11-41), Winthrop finished the night at 31 percent on 24 of 77 field goals. College of Charleston finished the game shooting 35.5 percent (22-62).  The big difference in the game was on the offensive glass where Winthrop enjoyed a 17-13 advantage thanks to 10 offensive boards by Nunn.

Winthrop will now depart on Friday for Peoria, IL where it will take on the Bradley Braves at 8 p.m. on Saturday night.  The game can be heard on the Winthrop Sports Network via the internet at www.winthropeagles.com.