Box Score
ROCK HILL, SC--Winthrop's women achieved a rare feat Saturday night as three players achieved double-doubles in a 83-74 non-conference victory over St. Augustine's at the Winthrop Coliseum.

Dequesha McClanahan led five Winthrop players in double figures with 21 points to go along with 10 assists.  Diana Choibekova scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Schaquilla Nunn added 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.  Samiya Wright finished with 16 points and Taylor Calvert had 10 for the Eagles who evened their record at 4-4.  St. Augustine's, a Div. II member out of the CIAA, drops to 4-4 on the season.  The Falcons were led by 23 points from Regime McCombs who connected on 7 of 10 from 3-point distance. 

"I am please with everyone who got on the floor tonight," said Winthrop head coach Kevin Cook.  "And doggone it, I have to tip my hat to No. 4 (Regime McCombs) who was just unconscious for St. Augustine's.  We were fortunate that we were able to exert a bit more pressure on them in the second half. 

Cook had special praise for the performances of Nunn, Choibekova and Wright.  "We got another strong performance by our freshman Schaquilla Nunn with 6 of 7 shooting and 13 boards, Choibie's double-double and five triples were really big and Samiya Wright gave us a big lift and was very efficient with her shooting."

The Winthrop coach also gave credit to St. Augustine's.  "They came in here with a great game plan.  They were very well coached, but as well as they played I am still proud of our team," said Cook.

Both teams came out hot to open the game as Winthrop connected on four of its first five shots while SAU went 4 for 8 and led 10-9 with just over three minutes elapsed in the game.  The Falcons still held a 16-15 lead at the 12:15 mark of the first half, but a rebound basket by Nunn gave Winthrop the lead for good at 17-16 with 11:12 on the clock.  Winthrop led by as much as six points in the first half three times with the last time coming on a short jumper by Calvert that gave the Eagles a 35-29 advantage. SAU outscored Winthrop 8-3 the close out the half to trail 38-37 at the break. Wright scored 11 of the Eagles' first half points while Choibekova added nine.

After a good shooting performance by both teams in the first half, Winthrop turned up the defensive pressure to open the final period.  The Falcons connected on 42.9 percent in the first half, but cooled off a bit in the second half as they shot 35.1 percent and finished the game at 38.9 percent.  The trio of McCombs, Porscha Walton and Terri Jacobs combined to shoot 18 for 37 to keep the Falcons within striking distance.

Winthrop got some breathing room in the opening minutes of the second half when it outscored SAU 11-4 in the first 4:18 to take a 49-41 lead, but just moments later Nunn picked up her fourth foul and had to sit down with the Eagles leading 52-45.  With Nunn out and McCombs still hot from 3-point range, SAU got back to within four points at 52-48 with 14:17 left in the game. 

The Eagles increased its lead to nine at 59-50 following a bucket and two free throws by Calvert and a three from Choibekova, and then pushed the lead to as many as 12 at 70-58 following a 3-pointer by Aliyah Kilpatrick with just over six minutes left to play, but SAU outscored Winthrop 9-2 over the next 3:14 to get back to within five at 72-67 when Walton scored inside.  McClanahan then took over as she knocked down six free throws and scored eight of Winthrop's final 11 points to clinch the win.

Winthrop connected on 12 of 26 from long range and finished the game shooting 42.6 overall from the field (29-68).  St. Augustine's connected on 28-72 overall and went 9 of 19 from the three.  Behind Nunn and Choibekova, the Eagles won the battle of the boards 48-37.

Winthrop will now take another week off before hitting the road again on Dec. 15 when it faces North Carolina Central in Durham, NC.