Box Score
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ROCK HILL, SC— Joab Jerome scored five of his game-high 20 points to help Winthrop hang on for an 80-72 victory over Appalachian State and remain undefeated at home on the season, Sunday afternoon in non-conference basketball action.

The Eagles improved to 5-0 at the Winthrop Coliseum this season and are now 6-2 overall. The loss drops the Mountaineers to 2-7 on the year as Winthrop picks up just its second victory in the series.

Trailing by as much as 19-points in the first half, Appalachian State fought back and it was a one-point game with 3:16 to play when Jerome drained his second triple of the day as he was set up for the open look by Keon Moore. Jerome then picked up a steal on the other end which was followed by Jarad Scott going 1-for-2 at the foul line on the other end for a five-point lead with less than two minutes to play.

A couple more possession later and Jerome dropped in two free throws for a 76-69 lead with 46 seconds left to all but seal the game up for the Eagles.

Both teams got after it on both ends of the court as they combined for 51 fouls and 63 free throws. Appalachian State finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds it turned into 15 points. Winthrop finished the game 27-for-40 from the line while the Mountaineers were 17-for-23.

"We knew going into this game it was going to be an extremely physical game," said Winthrop head coach Pat Kelsey. "We spent the better part of the last four days that our guys were cognizant to block out on every single shot and that's what they hang their hat on. They're physical and they're tough and they're relentless to the glass. It was a heck of a team effort. We did our own share of attacking as well as we shot 40 free throws. We've got a lot of tough kids in that locker room that gutted out a very tough victory."

For nearly the first 12 minutes of the second half, Winthrop worked its way to a nine-point lead and consistently held a three-possession lead until the 8:16 mark. After Andre Smith drained a three for a 66-57 lead, Appalachian State responded with an 8-0 run to make it a one-point game with 5:18 remaining. Chris Burgess, who finished with 15 points in the game, scored four points during the run.

Every time Appalachian State worked its way to within a single-possession, Winthrop was able to hold and respond. This time it was hard work on the offensive glass as Keon Moore rebounded a miss and went right up with a one-hander in the lane as he was fouled in the process. Moore knocked down the free throw to complete the three-point play as he finished with his season-high of 11 points.

After being off the last 11 days without a game, the Eagles came out a bit slow but settled in and eventually worked their way to a 19-point advantage with 8:26 to play in the half.

Winthrop led 6-4 at the 16:36 mark and then used a 12-2 run for a 19-6 advantage over the next three and a half minutes. The run started with two free throws from Smith followed that with a long jumper. After James Bourne knocked down an 18-foot jumper straight away, Jerome took over and scored the next seven points to complete the run. Jerome started with a straight-on three and then scored inside on a tough shot after some contact. Jerome his own 7-0 run with another tough shot as he spun toward the baseline and kissed a one-hander off the glass.

The run came to a temporary halt by the Mountainners as Tab Hamilton knocked down a corner three to cut the Eagles' lead back to 10 points. At that point the Eagles outscored the Apps 14-5 over the next four minutes for the 19-point lead at 33-14 at the 8:26 mark.

Winthrop was looking to make the lead over 20 points after Josh Davenport came up with a steal but Jerome was whistled for an offensive foul and that's when the momentum shifted in favor of the Mountaineers as they  nearly erased the 19-point deficit.

Tevin Baskin made two free throws to start an 8-0 run that turned into a 20-4 run over the course of the next three and a half minutes. The 8-0 run was capped off by a Hamilton three in the corner. After Brandon Vega knocked down two free throws for a 13-point advantage, the Apps went on an 11-2 run that was again capped off by a Hamilton triple. Winthrop aided the run by finishing the final eight and a half minutes going 2-for-6 from the field and committing four turnovers as well as allowing the Apps eight second chance points in that time frame.

Winthrop held on to lead at the break, 41-36, as it shot 52 percent from the floor and was 15-for-21 at the foul line. Appalachian State shot 41 percent from the floor in the first half and was 9-for-12 at the charity stripe.

Freshman Keon Johnson finished with 15 points for the second straight game as he finished 8-for-9 at the foul line. Junior Larry Brown added eight points and five rebounds in 15 minutes of work.

Hamilton led the Mountaineers with 20 points while Baskin finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. Michael Obacha added eight points and 13 rebounds.

Winthrop heads to Raleigh, NC for its next contest when it takes on North Carolina Central, Wednesday evening at 7 p.m.