WEST HARTFORD, CT— Hunter Hale led three players in double-figures with 15 points to help Winthrop to a 67-57 win, Thursday evening in the team's season-opener.
WINTHROP (1-0, 0-0 BIG SOUTH)
SCORING LEADERS
- Hunter Hale (15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals)
- Kyle Zunic (14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal)
- Josh Ferguson (12 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks)
HARTFORD (1-1, 0-0 AMERICA EAST)
SCORING LEADERS
- Stafl Miroslav (15 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist)
- Hunter Marks (12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal)
- Moses Flowers (12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal)
FIRST HALF
- Eagles fell behind early as the Hawks scored the first four points of the game
- The lead didn't last long as Winthrop went on a 17-2 run for an 11-point lead with 11:08 left in the half
- Hunter Hale knocked down a jumper followed by a bucket from D.J. Burns Jr. to tie the game at 4-4
- A jumper in the lane by P.J. Henry momentarily put the Hawks back on top 6-5, but Winthrop responded with 12 straight points
- Burns Jr. scored six points during the run while Hale had five
- Hale buried a three with 5:56 left in the half to push the Eagles lead to 16 points
- Another three by Hale with 4:46 left had the Eagles on top by 15, but Hartford was able to cut the deficit to six points at the break
- Winthrop led 34-28 at the half after shooting 40 percent from the floor and just 2-for-8 at the foul line
- Eagles held the Hawks to 39 percent shooting in the first half (3-of-10 behind the arc)
SECOND HALF
- Eagles missed their first five shots of the second half until Hale made a jumper for a 36-32 lead
- Hartford tied the game at 36-36 after a three from Romain Boxus only to have Kyle Zunic put the Eagles back on top with a stick back
- Back to back buckets from Henry gave Hartford its first lead since early in the game at 40-39 with 12:51 remaining
- Hartford led 45-44 with 10:42 left after a three from D.J. Mitchell, but a dunk by Chase Claxton off a dish from Zunic put the Eagles back in the lead for good
- Over the next six and a half minutes the Eagles and Hawks went back-and-forth as Marks made it a one-point game with 3:33 to play
- A layup by Josh Ferguson put the Eagles back on top by three and then Zunic drilled a three for a 61-55 lead with 2:25 to play
- Two free throws by Marks brought the Hawks within four points with 1:04 to play but the Eagles scored the final six points of the game for the double-figure win
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Winthrop dominated the glass 50-37 and had 21 offensive rebounds that led to 15 second chance points
- Hale scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half while Zunic scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half
- Ferguson posted a double-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds
- Both teams shot 37 percent from the floor in the game as the Eagles finished with eight triples and the Hawks connected on five
- Four Eagles finished with five or more rebounds
- Winthrop had 17 assists on 26 field goals led by Russell Jones Jr. with six
NOTABLES
- Eagles are now 6-2 in season openers under Pat Kelsey
- Kelsey now has 140 career wins, tying Duggar Baucom (VMI) for 8th place in Big South history
- This was the program's first win over an opponent from the America East Conference in three tries
- Ferguson recorded the 10th double-double of his career
- The win gives the men's basketball program 696 victories all-time
UP NEXT
Winthrop remains on the road as it travels west to the Golden State for a two-game swing beginning with Fresno State on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 5 p.m.
