ROCK HILL, SC—Winthrop placed five players in double-figures as it scored 52 second half points to earn a 90-67 victory over Gardner-Webb, Monday evening at the Winthrop Coliseum. Winthrop wins its second straight and is now 9-8 overall and 3-3 in the Big South while Gardner-Webb falls to 9-10 overall and 4-2 in the league.
WINTHROP LEADERS
GARDNER-WEBB LEADERS
- David Efianayi (21 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals)
- D.J. Laster (13 points, 1 assist, 1 steal)
- Liam O'Reilly (12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals)
FIRST HALF
- Both teams started off a combined 2-for-11 from the field but settled in as the both then made 3-of-4 shots
- The Eagles led 10-9 at the first media break as Anders Broman and Adam Pickett hit back-to-back triples
- Out of the break the Eagles scored eight straight points highlighted by threes from Charles Falden and Austin Awad build a nine-point lead (18-9)
- Jamaal Robateau ended the Winthrop run with a basket inside and then knocked down a triple for five quick points for the Runnin' Bulldogs
- Gardner-Webb pulled within one at 31-30 with 4:18 left after Justin Jenkins drained a three
- From that point the Eagles ended the half on a 7-0 run to lead 38-30 at the break
- It was a strong finish defensively by the Eagles as they held Gardner-Webb 0-for-7 from the field in the final 4:18 and 32 percent for the half
- Winthrop shot 45 percent from the floor had nine second chance points as it held a 23-20 edge on the glass
SECOND HALF
- Teams traded baskets in the early going before the Eagles went on an 8-2 run to open up its first double-figure lead at 48-36
- The run started with a three-pointer by Pickett from the wing, then Pickett scored inside and Bjorn Broman capped off the run with a corner three
- Winthrop connected on six consecutive shots from 17:36-15:12 mark of the second half as it turned a 43-34 lead into a 17-point advantage at 55-38
- Over the first 10 minutes of the second half both teams were shooting over 50 percent as Winthrop was 9-for-16 (56%) and Gardner-Webb was 9-for-17 (53%)
- Gardner-Webb cut into the Eagle lead and got it down to 12 points with just over six to play after D.J. Laster scored on a jump hook
- Winthrop responded in a big way by outscoring the Runnin' Bulldogs 19-8 the rest of the way to earn the 23-point win
- The Eagles did push their lead to as much as 26 points when Matt Erps hooked up with Kellen Blake for an alley-oop
- Winthrop shot 61 percent from the floor while Gardner-Webb shot 47 percent
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- For the game the Eagles shot 53 percent while holding Gardner-Webb to 39 percent
- Winthrop hit 12 threes in the game, with seven of them in the second half
- For the second straight game the Eagles had a double-figure win on the boards (44-30)
- Winthrop finished with 10 offensive boards and had 21 second-chance points
- The Eagles led from the beginning and never trailed as it held the lead for 37:02
- Xavier Cooks fell two assists shy of a triple-double after finishing with his 28th career double-double
- Bjorn Broman and Charles Falden joined Cooks, Pickett and Ferguson in double-figures as Broman had 11 and Falden chipped in with 10
- Ball movement was big for the Eagles as they finished with 22 assists on 33 made baskets
NOTABLES
- This was the seventh straight win over Gardner-Webb as they now lead the all-time series 19-9
- Eagles hit the 90-point mark for the 5th time this season, but it was the first time scoring 80 or more in seven games
- Six of the last seven league wins by the Eagles have been by double-figures
- The eight assists by Cooks was three shy of his career-high, but it was a career-best against league opponents
- Josh Ferguson set a career-best in league games with his 17 points
- This was the second consecutive game with 10 or more threes and the 9th time on the season
ON TAP FOR WINTHROP
Winthrop will host UNC Asheville on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 8 p.m. as the game will air on ESPNU.
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