Box Score
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ROCK HILL, SC— The Winthrop men's basketball team fought but couldn't overcome a 20-point deficit as it fell 76-64 at home to Radford, Wednesday evening in Big South Conference action.

Winthrop falls to 10-9 overall and 4-3 in the Big South, while Radford improves to 14-8 overall and 4-3 in the league. Winthrop will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. when it visits High Point. Radford will return home Saturday and take on Gardner-Webb at 4 p.m.

The Eagles trailed by 20 points in the first half and cut the deficit to 10 points by halftime and five points in the second half but Radford continued to make shots as it finished the game shooting 61 percent from the floor. The Highlanders were also 5-for-10 from behind the arc and 19-for-21 at the foul line as Ya Ya Anderson was one of four Radford players with double-figures with a team-high 15.

Winthrop had four players in double-figures led by Joab Jerome's 17 points as he also pulled down eight rebounds in 35 minutes of action. The Eagles finished the game shooting 40 percent from the floor and were 10-for-22 behind the arc.

"The silver lining is our kids continued to fight and we cut it to five in the second half," said Winthrop head men's basketball coach Pat Kelsey. "When you spend all your time and your energy just trying to claw back out of a really, really big hole you knew they had another run in them and when that run came that was kind of the nail in the coffin."

After trailing by 10 points at the break, Winthrop clamped down defensively at the start of the second half and cut the deficit in half at 42-37 after Keon Johnson connected on a three from the wing. Rashun Davis scored inside and that was followed by a Kyle Noreen basket at the backdoor to push the Highlander lead back to nine points. The lead was back to 10 points after R.J. Price made one of two free throws but Keon Moore responded quickly with a three to get the deficit back to single-digits, 47-40 with 13:20 to play.

The next eight points in the game were all scored by Anderson as he hit back-to-back threes and then on a pull-up jumper near the baseline to put Radford ahead 55-40 with a little less than 11 and a half minutes remaining.

Jerome pulled the Eagles within 10 points with 9:06 to play in the game as he scored inside and was fouled and completed the three-point play. Defensively the Eagles were making plays, but they couldn't get the shots to fall despite some good looks.

Winthrop got back within eight points on two occasions in the final five minutes of the game but Radford continued to make the shots and plays it needed to hold off the Eagles. Andre Smith drained a step-back three with 5:01 to play and after holding the Highlanders on the other end, Winthrop came back with a good look offensively but Moore's attempt behind the arc was just off the mark.

For the second straight game the Eagles got off to a slow start offensively and faced a double-digit deficit and trailed 10-2 less than four minutes in. Kyle Noreen started off the scoring in the game with a three in front of the Eagles bench and Keon Johnson scored on the other end on a pull-up jumper to make it 3-2. That's when Radford reeled off 13 straight points and led 18-2 with 13:33 left in the first half.

Radford couldn't miss as it made seven of its first nine shots and was even shooting 74 percent from the floor with 3:29 to play in the half. Winthrop's Brandon Vega scored back-to-back possessions to try and get the Eagles back in the game, but with 7:47 to play in the first the Highlanders extended the lead to 20 points, 28-8. After the Vega baskets, Jalen Carethers responded with a three-point play as he scored in the lane. That jump started a 10-2 run that ended on a Brandon Holcomb hook in the lane for the 20-point advantage.

After Holcomb's basket, the Eagles began to chip away at the deficit, which became 11 points after a Tevin Prescott jumper with 2:07 left. Winthrop had a chance to get the deficit to single digits before the break as Jerome drained a three and was fouled with two seconds to play in the half, but Jerome missed the free throw and the Eagles trailed 40-30.

The Highlanders finished the first half shooting 60 percent from the floor and 43 percent behind the arc while Winthrop shot 44 percent from the field and 50 percent from three after a 1-for-8 start to the game.

In addition to Jerome in double-figures, Moore and Johnson each finished with 12 points while Smith added 11.

Anderson was joined in double-figures by Javonte Green with 14 points while Price and Davis each had 11 points. Price also finished with six assists and two steals.