Box Score

CLINTON, SC—Schaquilla Nunn recorded her 14^th double-double of the season with 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead Winthrop to a 60-53 Big South Conference road win over Presbyterian College in the final regular season game of the year for both teams.
 
Nunn set a career free throw record as she connected on 11 of 14 from the line, including seven of eight over the final 10 minutes when Winthrop broke a 40-40 deadlock.
 
Just as in its first meeting with PC on Jan. 24, Winthrop won the game at the charity stripe as they made 20 of 28 for the game, including 15 of 20 in the second half, while PC was just 7 of 10 for the game.
  
With the win, Winthrop improves to 17-12 overall and finishes the Big South season with a 13-7 record.  The Eagles are assured of a bye into the quarterfinals of the Big South Conference Championship Tournament and could be seeded anywhere from No. 3 to No. 5, depending on the outcome of  the games involving High Point and Campbell.
 
Erica Williams also scored in double figures for the Eagles with 18 points to go along with nine rebounds.  Keyonna Allen led PC with 20 points and 11 rebounds and Janie Miles added 10 for the Blue Hose.
 
After falling behind 29-27 at halftime, Winthrop rode the shoulders of Williams in the opening 3 minutes, 55 seconds of the second period.  She scored seven of the Eagles' first nine points as Winthrop outscored PC 9-3 to take a 36-32 lead.  Winthrop then went over five minutes without a point and fell behind 38-36 when Miles nailed a 3-pointer with 11:44 left in the game.
 
Zoe Vernon broke the scoring drought with a follow shot and tied the game at 38-38 with 10:49 remaining.  Noelle Carter answered with a jumper to reclaim the lead for the Blue Hose, but Nunn got fouled and converted both free throws to knot the score for the last time at 40.
Winthrop then went to a pressing defense and the complexion of the game changed.  Over the next five minutes, the Eagles outscored PC 14-4 to take control with a 54-44 lead with 4:47 left to play.  The Blue Hose got no closer than five points the rest of the way.
 
"You have to bring your "A" game when you come to play at PC," said Winthrop head coach Kevin Cook. "I haven't coached a game like this in my career with the number of substitutions we made.  They (PC) make it a chess game, so we played chess."
 
When Cook went with the press with just under 10 minutes left and the game tied, it seemed to rattle PC.  "We haven't worked a lick on that press," said Cook.  I've got to credit our team for adjusting and making the slides. It did seem to make a difference."
 
Winthrop trailed by five early in the game at 7-2 following a 3-pointer by Cortney Storey with just over 16 minutes remaining in the period.  The PC lead was still five at 13-8 following a layup by Aianna Kelly at the 12:34 mark, but Winthrop responded with back-to-back 3-pointers by Pam Decheva and Zoe Vernon to take a brief  14-13 lead with 11:39 on the clock.
 
Winthrop will now have to wait and see who it will face next Thursday at the HTC Center in Conway, SC.  The defending Big South champions look to win three games which would give them a third straight 20-win season and a return trip to the NCAA tournament.