ROCK HILL, SC— Chandler Vaudrin's game-tying three as time expired was off the mark as Winthrop fell 61-58 to Tennessee Tech, Thursday evening in non-conference men's basketball action.
WINTHROP (3-3, 0-0 BIG SOUTH)
SCORING LEADERS
TENNESSEE TECH (2-5, 0-0 OVC)
SCORING LEADERS
- Hunter Vick (16 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal)
- Darius Allen (16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal)
- Amadou Sylla (13 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal)
FIRST HALF
- Eagles jumped out to an early 8-2 lead after a layup by Hunter Hale
- Darius Allen scored five straight points to make it a one-point game
- The game was tied a couple of times but the Eagles maintained a 1-3 point lead over the next 10 minutes
- Allen tied the game at 22-22 with 5:04 to play in the half and then a layup by Amadou Sylla in transition gave the Golden Eagles their first lead
- Tech took a 28-24 lead into the break as the Eagles were just 2-for-8 from the floor in the final eight minutes and committed eight turnovers in that stretch
- Winthrop was 9-of-26 from the floor in the first half (2-for-11 behind the arc) for 35 percent shooting while Tech knocked down 41 percent of its field goal attempts
SECOND HALF
- Winthrop opened up the second half 3-for-11 from the floor as Tech to build a 16-point advantage with 10:51 to play
- Following the Allen three that made it a 46-30 lead for Tech, Jamal King turned the ball over, but immediately forced a turnover as the Eagles went the other way for a Charles Falden layup
- That basket sparked a 15-0 run that made it a one point game with 7:30 to play
- On the ensuing possession after the Falden layup, Russell Jones Jr. stole the ball as Falden scored another layup in transition
- Jones Jr. hit two free throws and then came away with another steal and buried a three as the Eagles trailed 46-39
- Winthrop forced a turnover for a third straight possession as Jones Jr. scored on the other end to make it a five point game, forcing a timeout
- Out of the timeout the Eagles forced a fourth straight turnover as Chase Claxton came away with the steal and was the benefactor on the other end with a dunk to make it a one possession game
- Chandler Vaudrin's layup off his own steal made it a one-point game
- Three straight jumpers by the Golden Eagles had the lead back to seven points but the Eagles battled and it was a two-point game with 2:04 left after two Josh Ferguson free throws
- Tech went back up by four after a Sylla jumper, but a dunk by Claxton off a nice feed inside from Jones Jr. put the deficit back at two points with 48 seconds left
- The Eagles dug in defensively but Hunter Vick hit a big shot as he buried a contested three from the left wing for a 57-52 lead with 19 seconds remaining
- Hunter Hale buried a three eight seconds later but Vick stepped up and hit two free throws to make it a four point game with six seconds left
- Hale hit another three with four seconds left and once again Vick stepped up and knocked down a pair of free throws for a 61-58 lead
- The Eagles threw the ball to midcourt as Vaudrin collected the pass, turned with one dribble and put up a shot that looked like it had a chance but was off the mark to the right
- Eagles were better from the floor in the second half at 42 percent but Tech shot 48 percent
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- For the game the Eagles shot 39 percent while the Golden Eagles shot 45 percent
- While the Eagles committed 17 turnovers that led to 13 points, Winthrop forced 19 turnovers and finished with 28 points off turnovers
- Winthrop finished with 12 steals in the game, led by Jones Jr.'s career-high four steals and Vaudrin had three
- While the Eagles made their final three shots of the game, they were 4-for-14 down the stretch
- Points in the paint were even at 30 a piece
- Tech edged out the Eagles on the boards 34-33
NOTABLES
- During the stretch that Winthrop nearly erased the 16-point deficit, the Eagles forced a turnover on seven straight possessions
- Winthrop had won five straight at home against non-conference opponents
- The Eagles have now had four games out of six on the season come down to the final possession
UP NEXT
Winthrop continues its home stand as it will be back in action at the Winthrop Coliseum on Monday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. when it hosts Pfeiffer.
