Box Score
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Audio Highlights By Dave Friedman

ATHENS, OH— Derrick Henry hit one-of-two free throws with three seconds left to lift the Winthrop men's basketball team to a 50-49 victory over Ohio, Saturday afternoon in non-conference action at the Convocation Center.

Winthrop (4-4) led for most of the second half as it ended the Bobcats' 16-game home winning streak and gave the Eagles their first non-conference road win since Dec. 15 of last season when they won at Jacksonville. With the loss, Ohio falls to 7-3 on the year.

“There wasn't a lot to say,” said Winthrop head coach Pat Kelsey, when asked what he said to the team after the game. “There was just a lot of emotion in that locker room.  It was a great win. I'm just so darn proud of those young men. They played with so much heart, so much determination and that's what you have to do to beat really good teams in tough venues and that's what this is.”

The Eagles trailed 25-20 at the half, but used a 9-0 run to take a 29-25 lead and led for nearly every second the remainder of the game. Ohio tied the game at 49-49 with 35 seconds to play, but then Henry gave the Eagles the lead for good after he was fouled outside of the three-point line as he attempted to go to the basket. Henry led the team with 14 points, despite struggling from the foul line but he knocked down the most important free throw attempt of the afternoon.

Joab Jerome knocked down two free throws with 2:57 to play in the game for a 49-44 lead. Ohio responded with a three-pointer from D.J. Cooper to cut the lead down to two points. Cooper eventually tied the game as Cooper boarded his own miss behind the arc, drove the lane and was able to scoop the ball in off the glass with 35 seconds left. Cooper had the ball in his hands at the end of the game and missed a three-point look in front of the Bobcat bench.

Andre Smith had 10 points, with two big threes in the second half with just over 14 minutes left that pushed the Eagles to a seven-point advantage at 35-28. Jerome also added 10 points.

Winthrop led 5-3 early thanks to a Henry three-pointer in transition from the wing and a couple of free throws by Andre Smith. That score held for a few minutes as both teams started slow but Ohio used a 9-2 run for a 12-7 lead after a bucket inside by Reggie Keely.

A tip-in by Larry Brown followed Jerome's lay-in off a drive to the glass cut the lead to one-point, 12-11, with 8:52 left in the first half. However, back-to-back baskets inside by Keely put Ohio back in front by five points. The Eagles responded with a 7-0 run for an 18-16 lead with just over five minutes to play until the half. The run was highlighted by hard work on the offensive glass as Gideon Gamble and Jerome had stick backs. Winthrop only managed two more points over the final five minutes, but stayed in the game with tough defense. Henry had a look behind the arc for the last shot of the first half, but the shot rattled the rim, bounced off the glass and out.

The Eagles led 35-30 with 11:58 to play when Ohio was whistled for a technical foul, but Henry stepped to the line and missed both free throws. Then the Eagles got possession but were unable to score and a few possessions later Ohio's Nick Kellogg drained a three-pointer to make it a one possession game. Henry shook off the missed free throws quickly and responded with a three of his own as the Eagles didn't seem to back down.

“Watching tape on OU I was convinced that eventually this could be a Top 25 team,” said Kelsey. “I think they have that caliber of talent. Our guys didn't blink. I got this from Brian Billick, who used to coach the Baltimore Ravens, that when you go into the lion's den you can't tip-toe in. If you tip-toe in you're going to get eaten. When you go into the lion's den you have to grab a spear, knock the door down, go in screaming like a banshee and say where is the son of a gun. And that's what our guys did.”

For the game, Winthrop shot 33 percent from the field and was 14-for-21 at the foul line (67 percent). Ohio shot 36 percent (27 percent in the second half) and was 7-for-13 at the line. Winthrop's defense allowed 16 points in the paint in the first half, but kept the Bobcats out of the paint and allowed just six points inside in the second half.

Winthrop missed a few open looks and shot 32 percent from the floor in the first half, but were just 1-for-8 behind the arc. The Bobcats shot 46 percent from the floor and were 3-of-6 from downtown.  

Kelsey felt the key to the game was the word consistency. “I really believe was the word we wrote on the board and what we continued to talk about during the game and that was being consistent. At every media timeout, at every huddle we kept saying the word consistent. That's what our guys did. They just kept chopping wood and came out with a phenomenal win.”

Brown also had a solid game for the Eagles as he finished with a career-high nine points, nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

Keely led Ohio with 14 points as he was the only player in double-figures. Cooper was just 3-for-12 from the field and finished with eight points and three assists.

Winthrop will remain in the state of Ohio for its next contest as it heads to Columbus to take on seventh-ranked Ohio State on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m.