ASHEVILLE, NC— Winthrop turned a double-digit halftime deficit into a double-digit victory as it opened Big South Conference action with an 80-65 win at UNC Asheville, Saturday afternoon at Kimmel Arena.
WINTHROP (9-5, 1-0 BIG SOUTH)
SCORING LEADERS
UNC ASHEVILLE (2-12, 0-1 BIG SOUTH)
SCORING LEADERS
- DeVon Baker (23 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal)
- L.J. Thorpe (13 points, 3 rebounds)
- Coty Jude (12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist)
FIRST HALF
- Both teams struggled shooting the ball in the first half as Winthrop shot 24 percent and Asheville shot 29 percent
- Winthrop hit just two of its first 14 shots and the Bulldogs hit 4-of-17 (over the first 10 minutes of the game)
- Austin Awad opened the scoring for the Eagles as his three made it a 4-3 Asheville lead three and a half minutes into the game
- It was a one-point game with 16:14 left after Adam Pickett hit 1-of-2 free throws to trail 7-6
- The Bulldogs went on a 7-0 run for a 14-6 lead with 10:06 remaining
- Winthrop didn't score for just over six minutes until a baseline dunk from Jermaine Ukaegbu ended the scoreless drought and made it a six-point game
- Trailing 17-9, the Eagles went on a 7-0 run to make it a one-point game with just over three and a minutes left
- Kyle Zunic drove the lane and hit an off balance jumper in traffic as he got the roll to make it a 17-16 contest
- Asheville responded with a 14-0 run behind three triples from Coty Jude as the Bulldogs outscored the Eagles 14-3 in the final three and a half minutes
- Winthrop committed 13 first half turnovers that led to 15 of Asheville's 31 points
SECOND HALF
- Winthrop chipped away at the 12-point deficit in the first four and a half minutes making it a five-point game at 35-30 after a Pickett three
- Pickett came away with a steal, but missed his layup on the fast break only to have Micheal Anumba score on the follow to make it a one possession game
- Then Charles Falden tied the game at 39-39 with 13:25 to play
- Asheville regained the lead and led 44-40 with 11:18 to play after DeVon Baker scored off a turnover
- From that point the Eagles outscored the Bulldogs 40-21
- Pickett made it a one-point game at 44-43 with a three and then Anumba gave the Eagles their first lead at 45-44 off a tip-in to cap off an 8-0 run
- With 7:14 to play Falden hit another three for a 57-50 lead, but Asheville worked its way back to tie the game at 65-65 with 3:28 to play
- Winthrop continued to score the ball and clamp down defensively as it held the Bulldogs scoreless over the final 3:28
- Pickett broke the tie as he drove down the right side of the lane, drew contact and banked in a shot for the and one as he completed the three-point play for a 68-65 lead
- Josh Ferguson sealed the game with 47 seconds to play as he buried a corner three for a 76-65 lead
- Eagles shot 53 percent from the floor in the second half, including 11-of-21 behind the arc
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Winthrop committed 13 first half turnovers and finished with 15 in the game while Asheville committed 11
- The Eagles finished with 13 points off turnovers and Asheville had 17
- For the game the Eagles shot 41 percent from the floor while Asheville finished at 33 percent
- Winthrop had five players in double-figures as Kyle Zunic with 10 and Josh Ferguson with 10 joined Awad, Pickett and Falden
- Winthrop scored 61 points in the second half, which included 40 points over the final 11 minutes
- Anumba led the Eagles with seven assists, which tied his career-high as the team finished with 18 on 26 field goals
- Awad's 19 points were a career-high as he also set a career-best with six threes
NOTABLES
- This was the sixth straight season the Eagles have won their conference opener
- Eagles have now shot 40 percent or better from the floor in 18 straight road games
- Winthrop's top scorer Nych Smith (16.0) and fourth-leading scorer Bjorn Broman (10.0) did not play
- This was Winthrop's first win over the Bulldogs in Kimmel Arena since Jan. 14, 2015
- Eight of the last nine wins on the road have been by double-figures
UP NEXT
The Eagles head to Buies Creek, NC for a third straight road contest as they'll take on Campbell on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
