Box Score
Photo Gallery vs. Liberty
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ROCK HILL, SC— Joab Jerome scored a career-high 18 points and Winthrop shot 60 percent from the floor in the second half en route to a 66-56 victory over Liberty in Big South Conference men's basketball action, Saturday night at the Winthrop Coliseum.

The win was the second straight for the Eagles who are now 10-11 overall and 4-5 in the league. Liberty falls to 7-16 on the year and 3-6 in the Big South.

Jerome scored nine of his 18 points in the final 7:39 of the game to help Winthrop hold off a Liberty team that continued to fight all night. Maybe the biggest shot of the night for Jerome was a catch-and-shoot three with 7:39 on the clock for a seven-point advantage. Liberty answered right back, but Jerome scored on the next possession as Gideon Gamble lobbed a pass above the rim for an easy lay-up for Jerome. From there, Winthrop's defense held Liberty to 1-for-9 from the floor the remainder of the game.

Winthrop used a couple of runs in the second half trying to open up the game, but Liberty continued to battle back each time. The first came with the Eagles leading 36-34 as they went on a 7-0 run for a nine-point advantage with 12:13 to play. Liberty responded with a 9-2 run behind a couple of buckets from Tavares Speaks.

Then the Eagles went on a 7-2 run for a 52-45 advantage with 7:39 left to play. Liberty's Tomasz Gielo stepped up and scored the next six points for the Flames to keep the game close but after his one-handed shot in the lane, Liberty went cold from the floor.

Jerome led all scorers as he was 7-for-11 from the field and also had six rebounds and two assists. He was 5-for-6 from the floor in the second half as he helped Winthrop shoot 60 percent in the final 20 minutes and 5-for-8 from three (63 percent). Derrick Henry had 15 points, his third straight game in double-figures. Larry Brown posted his first career-double with 10 points and 10 boards. Winthrop ended the game shooting 46 percent and won the battle on the boards, 38-34.

Liberty started off the game 4-for-6 from the field and jumped out to an early 9-2 lead after a John Caleb Sanders triple from the wing at the 16:43 mark. From that point, Winthrop picked up the defensive effort and battled its way back to tie the game at 13-13 on a Henry three from the corner.

Senior Shola Diop gave the Eagles a lift off the bench as he helped cut the lead to five points after two free throws and hard work on the offensive glass. That sparked an 11-4 run that tied the game at 13-13. Winthrop took the lead on a Jerome fast break lay-up and eventually pushed the lead to 21-15 after a tip-in by Brown in transition. Diop played a career-high 19 minutes in a conference game and finished with four points and three rebounds.

Liberty cut the lead to one point with 18 seconds to go on a Casey Roberts jumper, but a lay-up by Brown at the other end gave Winthrop a 26-23.

After the 4-for-6 start, the Eagles held Liberty to just 2-for-18 from the field for the next 15 minutes and 39 seconds. Both teams had their troubles getting shots to fall in the first half as Winthrop shot 34 percent while Liberty finished at 31 percent.

Speaks led the Flames with 15 points while Davon Marshall added 11 points and Gielo finished with 10. Liberty finished the game shooting 34 percent, but was 15-for-16 at the foul line.

Winthrop will head to Asheville, NC for its next contest when it faces UNC Asheville on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. Liberty will return home for a contest against Radford on Wednesday with the tip set for 7 p.m.