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ROCK HILL, SC— The men's basketball team will be back in action Saturday night when it heads to Clinton, SC to take on Presbyterian College. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
Winthrop (11-13, 5-7 BSC) is coming off a victory not many people around the league would have thought it could get as it handed Charleston Southern its third league loss, 70-65. The Eagles found out earlier in the week they would be without sophomore
Larry Brown for at least the remainder of the regular season, if not longer. That was a big hit to an already shallow position by numbers. However, the team responded and pulled off the victory to end a two-game skid.
Winthrop got contributions from several players, including a very efficient shooting night from sophomore
Andre Smith as he posted 20 points on 5-for-9 from the field, 4-for-6 behind the arc and 7-for-8 at the foul line. It was the second time in his career he scored 20 or more points as he had a career-best 26 points at James Madison earlier in the year.
Junior
Steve Johnson gave the Eagles a lift off the bench as he scored nine points, his personal best in a league game. Johnson pulled down five rebounds and went 7-for-8 at the foul line.
Prior to the game on Wednesday the Eagles were not sure if junior
Joab Jerome would be able to go as he turned an ankle in practice on Tuesday, but Jerome ended up recording his second career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Jerome was a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line.
Winthrop finished the game against the Buccaneers with a season-high 23 made free throws. The last time the Eagles made 20 free throws in a game was Dec. 27, 2011 at Georgia (22-for-28). The last time the Eagles did it in league play was Jan. 6, 2011 against UNC Asheville at home (21-for-35).
Defensively the Eagles did a good job and seemed to heavily contest every shot the Buccaneers released and held the nation's leader in three-point field goals made to just 3-for-27 behind the arc. The second and third made three-pointers didn't come until there was less than two minutes to play.
It was also the ninth straight opponent the Eagles held under 70 points, which Charleston Southern entered the game scoring 76 points per game. In the last 25 wins over Charleston Southern, the Eagles have not allowed 70 or more points.
Looking for two straight wins, the Eagles head to a difficult place to play: the Ross E. Templeton Physical Education Center. Winthrop is 4-6 all-time at PC and the last two meetings there have been decided by one possession.
PC enters the game 6-20 overall and 3-9 in the league, two games behind Winthrop in the South Division. The Blue Hose have lost two straight and four of the last five with the lone win coming over Gardner-Webb.
On Wednesday the Blue Hose fell 60-53 to Coastal Carolina. Khalid Mutakabbirk led all scorers with 16 points and is averaging 15.3 on the year (16.2 in league play). The senior guard also had 10 rebounds to record a double-double.
Second on the team in scoring at 13.2 per game is redshirt sophomore Jordan Downing. He is coming off a tough shooting night against the Chanticleers as he was 0-for-8 from the field and 0-for-5 behind the arc and finished with two points. It was the lowest scoring output of the season for him and ended a streak of double-figure games at 11 games. Downing is averaging 14.3 ppg in Big South games.
Of the team's three league wins, two have been at home (Gardner-Webb and Liberty).
The Eagles hold a 13-11 edge in the all-time series and have won nine of the last 11 meetings with the two teams splitting the last four meetings.