ROCK HILL, SC – The Winthrop women's basketball team struggled offensively in the second half Saturday as the Eagles fell 55-43 to the UNC Asheville Bulldogs at the Winthrop Coliseum.

Winthrop falls to 10-14 and 6-7 overall while the Bulldogs improved to 13-11 overall and 8-5 in the Big South.

HOW IT HAPPENED
A tightly played first quarter had the lead changing hands multiple times.  Asheville took an early four-point lead but the Eagles battled back to take a five-point lead with 2:36 to play in the period.  The Bulldogs closed the quarter on an 8-2 run and held a 17-16 lead after the opening 10 minutes.

Scoring slowed a bit in the second quarter but Asheville was able to push its lead to four points.  Winthrop responded with a 5-0 run to regain the lead and the lead changed hands three more times in the period.  In the last 11 seconds Anika Riley was able to put together a three-point play to put the Eagles up 29-27 at the break.

The Bulldogs tied the game early in the third quarter and then went on an 8-0 run to open a 41-33 lead with 2:37 on the clock.  Winthrop stopped the Asheville run from the free-throw line putting up three points from the charity stripe.  The Bulldogs led 42-36 heading into the final quarter.

Winthrop came out in the fourth quarter and put up four quick points to get within two but the Eagles managed only one more field goal and three more points over the final nine minutes of the contest.  Asheville used a 7-0 run to put the game out of reach.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Courtney Hagaman and Anika Riley tied for the team lead with 12 points each.  Riley recorded a double-double with 12 rebounds.  Winthrop shot 27 percent from the floor for the game including 19 percent in the second half.  Asheville shot 39 percent from the field and outrebounded the Eagles 38-36.

WHAT'S UP NEXT
Winthrop closes a three-game homestand on Tuesday as the Eagle host the league-leading Radford Highlanders at 7 p.m. at the Winthrop Coliseum.