ROCK HILL, SC— Xavier Cooks scored a game-high 22 points to help lead Winthrop to its third straight win as it downed Liberty 74-58, Saturday afternoon at the Winthrop Coliseum.
For the fourth straight game the Eagles shot over 50 percent from the floor as they improve to 12-6 overall and 4-3 in the Big South. Liberty drops its second straight game and is now 5-15 overall and 2-5 in the league. Winthrop will go for a fourth straight win on Wednesday, Jan. 20 when it travels to Boiling Springs, NC to take on Gardner-Webb at 7 p.m.
Cooks teamed up with
Jimmy Gavin for a combined 41 points while junior
Keon Johnson was the only other Eagle in double-figures with 12. It is the third straight game with 19 or more points for Gavin. Winthrop finished the game shooting 52 percent from the floor after shooting 70 percent from the floor in the second half. In Thursday's win over High Point the Eagles shot 69 percent from the floor in the second half.
Winthrop, which led by nine at the half, traded baskets back and forth to start the second half but then built as big of a lead as 16 points with 9:43 to play after freshman
Adam Pickett completed a three-point play. Pickett made the play after the two teams combined for only one point over a four minute stretch.
Liberty responded with an 8-2 run to pull within 10 points at the 7:30 mark after a John Dawson hit a three while being fouled and completed the four-point play. Dawson scored six of the eight points during the run. Each team missed shots on their ensuing possessions and then Gavin stepped up and drained three to push the Winthrop lead back to 13 points. The Eagles continued to defend well and make shots as the lead grew to 19 points with 1:45 to play after Gavin drove baseline and scored.
Dawson led the Flames with 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting and pulled down five rebounds. He was the only player in double-figures as three other players finished with eight points. Winthrop held the Flames to 42 percent shooting in the game and 6-for-20 behind the arc. Winthrop has now held three straight opponents to fewer than 70 points for the first time since the final three regular season games of the 2014-15 season.
Winthrop led 31-22 at the break as it finished off the four minutes with an 8-0 run behind four points from Gavin and four from Cooks. Gavin scored the final basket of the half as he drove the lane and in traffic finished with his left hand in the process of getting fouled. Gavin completed the three-point play to cap off the run and extend the Eagles lead.
It was a slow start for the Eagles as they started the game 0-2 from the field and then committed turnovers on four straight possession before Gavin scored the first points with two free throws with 16 to play in the half. That started an 11-0 run by the Eagles to open up an 11-5 lead after a four-point play from Gavin as he was fouled while knocking down a three from the wing. Winthrop held the lead for the remainder of the half except for 20 seconds when the Flames tied the game at 20 with 5:33 to play after an A.C. Reid three from the corner. Winthrop answered right back with a three from Cooks as the Eagles outscored the Flames 11-2 the rest of the half.
