ROCK HILL, SC—Winthrop senior
Anders Broman scored a career-high 22 points as the Eagles dropped a close game at Colorado State, 80-76, Tuesday evening.
The Eagles (0-2) connected on 15 threes in the game, just two shy of the school record but the Rams (2-0) shot 52 percent in the second half to overcome a seven-point halftime deficit.
WINTHROP LEADERS
COLORADO STATE LEADERS
- Prentiss Nixon (16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block)
- Deion James (14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block)
- Nico Carvacho (11 points, 20 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals)
FIRST HALF
- Both teams got off to a slow start as the game was tied 7-7 at the 13:29 mark after two Anders Broman free throws
- With eight and a half minutes to play in the half the Eagles caught fire behind the arc as Anders Broman hit one at the 8:24 mark to trail 17-16
- CSU answered with a triple only to see Anders Broman drill another as the game was tied 19-19
- The team's traded threes again as Austin Awad hit his first basket as an Eagle, which was a three that tied the game at 22-22
- With 5:51 to play in the half, the game was tied 26-26 when the Eagles went on a 5-0 run that turned into an 8-2 run for a 34-28 lead, which forced a timeout by the Rams
- The Rams pulled within two points at 34-32 with just over three minutes to play but Xavier Cooks scored the final five points of the half for a 39-32 lead at the break
- The Eagles hit seven threes in the first half and shot 39 percent from the floor while CSU shot 41 percent and was 3-for-10 behind the arc
SECOND HALF
- The Eagles came out of the locker room and pushed their lead to double-figures on a Kyle Zunic three
- Winthrop Led 42-36 before going on an 8-0 run for a 50-36 lead with 15:06 to play
- The Rams answered with an 8-0 run of their own to make it a six-point game with 12:54 remaining
- Bjorn Broman stopped the run with a three, but an 8-2 run made it a one possession game at the 10:18 mark
- The Rams tied the game with 7:09 to play but the Eagles punched back as Anders Broman knocked down a jumper while being fouled and completed the three-point play
- CSU pulled within a point at the 6:18 mark after a Mitchell dunk and took 69-68 lead after a Carvacho layup after two offensive rebounds
- Anders Broman made a three to cut the deficit to 79-76 with 1:05 to play and then the Eagles forced a turnover on the ensuing possession to have a chance to tie or pull within one
- Xavier Cooks was fouled and went to the line for a one-and-one but his free throw bounced off the front of the rim and the Eagles were forced to foul
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- CSU shot 52 percent in the second half after shooting 41 percent in the first half
- Rams had a 51-29 advantage on the glass and finished with 16 second-chance points
- The Eagles hit 15 threes (15-for-36), which is the 46th time they've hit 10 or more in a game under Pat Kelsey
- Rams had a 36-18 advantage in points in the paint while the bench points were pretty level as CSU had 33 and the Eagles had 29
- Winthrop did force 18 turnovers (just 10 themselves) and finished with 20 points off turnovers
NOTABLES
- Winthrop falls to 0-2, which is the first time under Pat Kelsey and first time since the 2011-12 season
- Smith's 14 points were a career-high as he was 4-for-7 from the floor and 5-for-6 at the foul line
- Anders Broman finished 7-for-14 from the field, 5-for-10 behind the arc and 3-for-3 at the foul line
- Cooks finished with 11 points and nine rebounds
- First back-to-back losses by the Eagles since Jan. 2/6, 2016 (at Coastal Carolina/at UNC Asheville)
- Awad, who didn't play in the season opener, made a career-best four triples and had three rebounds
ON TAP FOR WINTHROP
The Eagles will come back home to host Central Penn on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. as part of Homecoming. The game will air on 94.3 FM & 104.1 The Bridge and can be seen on the Big South Network. The women's team will face South Carolina State prior to the men's game at 1 p.m.
