BUIES CREEK, NC—Jimmy Gavin scored a game-high 31 points to lead Winthrop to an 87-71 victory over Campbell Saturday afternoon, clinching a share of the Big South Conference regular season title with High Point.With the win the Eagles finished the regular season with a 21-8 overall mark and 13-5 league record. This is the first time since the 2007-08 season that the Eagles finished atop the Big South regular season standings. Campbell drops to 12-17 overall and 5-13 in the Big South. Winthrop
The Eagles tied for first in the standings with High Point, who will be the top seeded team at next week's championship as the Eagles are the two-seed and will face the winner of #7 Radford and #10 Presbyterian on Friday, Mar. 4 at 6 p.m. at Gore Arena on the campus of Campbell University.
Winthrop led 51-33 at the half and never looked back as every time Campbell closed the gap to 12-13 points the Eagles had an answer. The Eagles shot 59 percent in the first half to build its 18-point advantage and finished shooting 52 percent for the game as four Eagles were in double-figures. Gavin hit seven of the team's 14 threes in the game as the Eagles finished 14-for-28 behind the arc.
In addition to 31 points Gavin also dished out five assists. Xavier Cooks chipped in with a double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Keon Johnson had 18 points and five assists while Bjorn Broman finished with 12 points.
Campbell was within 12 points after a Chris Clemson triple with 5:29 to play but Gavin answered with a three and the Eagles cruised from there to capture 21 wins for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
The Eagles also turned in a solid defensive effort, holding Campbell to just 37 percent shooting in the game (35 percent in the 2nd half). The only forced five turnovers in the game, but capitalized on them for 10 points. As a team the Eagles had seven blocks in the game and are now just one block shy of the program's single-season mark of 158 set in 1978-79. The 157 blocks this season are the most by any team since the program's move to the NCAA D1 level.
Clemson led Campbell with 25 points while Troy Harper added 13 points and Rod Days had 12 points and eight rebounds.
Both teams got off to a slow start but the Eagles worked their way to a double-figure lead midway through the first half and never looked back. Campbell was within nine points with 8:36 to play in the first half, but then Winthrop pushed its lead back to double-figures and up to 18 points by halftime.
Leading 15-12 with 11:20 to play in the half, Winthrop went on an 11-2 run to open up the game a bit. Gavin's step-back three started the run as Broman followed with a three to push the lead to nine and then Price capped off the run with a basket inside for eight straight points. After a Clemons jumper, Gavin hit another three for the Eagles largest lead of the game to that point, 26-14.
After Campbell pulled within 13 with 2:13 to play in the half, Winthrop went on an 8-3 spurt into the break behind triples from Broman and Johnson.
