Coach Kelsey Postgame Press Conference
Game Wrap-up With Mike Pacheco/Bobby Stevens
Game Highlights
ROCK HILL, SC— Xavier Cooks scored a game-high 21 points to help Winthrop to a 66-47 victory over Ferrum College, Saturday afternoon in men's basketball action.
The Eagles won their season opener for the sixth straight season as they prepare for their next three contests on the road beginning with Manhattan College on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 8:45 a.m. The game will air live on ESPN2 as part of the College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon.
Ferrum held the lead by a possession or two over the first 15 and a half minutes of the game until the Eagles ended the half on 12-2 run to lead 30-22 at the break. The run started with a
Joshua Davenport dunk and then scored the next two baskets to spark the run.
The lead was cut in half in the early minutes of the second half but Cooks scored inside off a turnover to spark a quick 6-0 spurt for Winthrop's first double-figure lead of the day. The lead remained between 8-11 points over the next seven minutes when
Keon Johnson drove and scored off glass to make it 47-37 and the lead never dropped to single-digits the rest of the way.
Winthrop finished the game shooting 45 percent, despite going 2-for-21 behind the arc. The Eagles held Ferrum to 32 percent from the floor and 25 percent in the second half.
Cooks was the only Eagle in double-figures as he also led the team with 10 rebounds and two blocks. Davenport finished with eight points as did
Duby Okeke and
Roderick Perkins. Josh Dudley led the Panthers with 17 points while Josh Grimard chipped in with nine.
The victory was a milestone for head coach
Pat Kelsey as he tied Randy Peele for third most victories in program history with 77.
EXTRA DRIBBLE
- -Former men's player and Winthrop Hall of Famer Bennie Bennett had his jersey retired during an in-game ceremony
- -It is the 6th straight season the Eagles won their season opener (5-0 under Kelsey) and the program is 32-6 all-time in home openers
- -The first 11 field goals made by the Eagles
- -The Eagles finished with seven dunks in the contest
- -Anders Broman, who sat out last season after transferring in, scored the first basket of the 2016-17 season a minute into the contest
- -The Eagles have now won 45 consecutive games over non-Div. I opponents
- -Winthrop is now 26-4 at the Winthrop Coliseum dating back to the start of the 2014-15 season
- -Cooks recorded his 10th career double-double
