CLINTON, SC – Jah'Che Whitfield scored a team-high 16 points and the Eagles were perfect from the free-throw line in the final 30 seconds as the women's basketball team downed Presbyterian 62-54 Saturday afternoon.

Winthrop snapped a two-game losing skid with the victory and improved to 10-12 overall and 6-5 in the Big South while Presbyterian dropped its seventh straight contest, falling to 4-18 overall and 2-9 in conference.

HOW IT HAPPENED
It took Winthrop more than seven minutes to put its first points on the board and Presbyterian ran out to an 8-0 lead in that time.  After the Eagles scored their first two points, the Blue Hose went on a 6-2 run and opened a 10-point advantage.  Presbyterian led 14-7 after the opening 10 minutes.

Early in the second quarter Presbyterian extended its lead to 11 points before the Eagles started cutting in.  Trailing by seven, Winthrop went on an 8-0 run in 2:03 to take a 21-20 lead.  The two sides traded buckets in the final two minutes of the half and the Eagles held a 26-24 lead at the break.

Through the first six minutes of the second half the two teams traded buckets and the lead.  With 3:49 to play in the third quarter, the Blue Hose knocked down two free throws to tie the game at 36-36.  Winthrop then held Presbyterian scoreless over the remainder of the quarter while scoring eight points to take a 44-36 lead heading into the final period.

Free throws became vitally important to the Eagles over the final 10 minutes.  Winthrop put up 18 points in the fourth quarter, 11 of them coming at the charity stripe.  The Eagles extended their lead to as much as 11 with 3:39 to play but an 11-1 run by the Blue Hose got the home team within one with 1:09 to play.  Presbyterian was again within one with 37 seconds left but couldn't manage another bucket as the Eagles knocked down seven free throws to seal the 62-54 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Whitfield's 16 point came on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 shooting from the free-throw line.  She was just shy of a double-double with nine rebounds.  Anika Riley added 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting.  Kacie Hall, for Presbyterian, who is third in scoring in Big South play was limited to only three points.

The Eagles shot 42 percent from the field for the game including 50 percent in the second half.  Winthrop finished 15-for-18 from the free-throw line.  Presbyterian outrebounded the Eagles 34-28 but turned the ball over 24 times, 14 of which were caused by the Eagles.

WHAT'S UP NEXT
Winthrop returns home for the first time in two weeks when the Eagles host Gardner-Webb Tuesday evening at 7 p.m.  Tuesday will be Winthrop's Pink Game as the Eagles will wear pink uniforms for breast cancer awareness.