Box Score
ROCK HILL, SC—Schaquilla Nunn set a Winthrop women's basketball single game scoring record with 39 points and
Samiya Wright recorded her first career double-double to lead the Eagles to a 117-43 season-opening win over Gallaudet on homecoming Saturday.
Nunn, a 6-3 junior center, came within one blocked shot of recording a triple double as she grabbed 16 rebounds and had nine blocks. She also set a Winthrop record for field goals made in a game as she connected on 18 of 24 shots. The previous record had stood since Mar. 1, 1986 when Stephanie Morris scored 37 points against UNC Charlotte.
Wright, one of two seniors on the team, scored 17 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds. She and Nunn were among five Eagles to score in double figures against NCAA Div. III Gallaudet, the world's only university or college for the deaf and hard of hearing.
The game had special meaning for both head coaches. Winthrop's
Kevin Cook served as head coach of the Bison for four years prior to coming to Winthrop while Gallaudet's current head coach Stephanie Stevens was an assistant under Cook at the Washington, D.C. school.
Freshman
Ezinne Mbamalu came off the bench to score 20 in her collegiate debut while
Samiya Wright and
Erica Williams finished with 17 each and
Zoe Vernon added 10.
The game was over almost before the homecoming day had settled into their seats. Wright drilled a 3-pointer after only seven seconds had ticked off the clock. Nunn followed with an inside bucket and a 12-foot jumper sandwiched around a steal and layup by
Aliyah Kilpatrick to give Winthrop a 9-0 lead with 18:33 on the clock. After a short jumper by Gallaudet's Kori Koss, Winthrop rolled off 10 unanswered points to take a 19-2 lead less than five minutes into the contest. At that point all five Eagle starters had gotten into the scoring column.
By intermission, Winthrop led 64-19 and Nunn had already scored 24 points. The Eagles outscored their opponent 44-4 in the paint during the first half and ended the game with a 92-14 advantage inside the lane.
"I thought Samiya, and Schaquilla performed very, very well. Samiya was 5 for 5 from beyond the arc and looked cool as a cucumber out there, and Schaquilla ran rim to rim like a guard and looked comfortable around the basket," said Cook. "I was pleased with everybody who played and everyone scored the ball. Now we will get ready for Furman on Monday night."
Gallaudet was led in scoring by senior Zamica Gage with 21 points, who was recruited by Cook while coaching the Bison. "I love Zamica Gage. I recruited her and she can play at any level. Trust me on that one," said Cook. "Gallaudet is going to do a good job in their conference and I look for them to have a good year. They won't play anybody as good as us the rest of the season, not to blow our horn, but we were pretty good today."
Winthrop shot 56 percent for the game (50 for 90) and held Gallaudet to 26 percent (17-65). The Eagles also dominated the boards 59-35. Winthrop also dished out 33 assists and forced 23 turnovers while committing only six. With Nunn leading the way, the Eagles finished the game with 14 blocked shots.
The Eagles will return to action on Monday night when they host the Furman Paladins at 7 p.m. in the Winthrop Coliseum.
