Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop nearly overcame a season-low 32 percent from the field but in the end UNC Asheville hung on for the 57-55 win, snapping the Eagles 21-game winning streak.
WINTHROP (16-1, 13-1 Big South)
TOP CONTRIBUTORS
UNC ASHEVILLE (10-9, 9-5 Big South)
TOP CONTRIBUTORS
- Trent Stephney (13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal)
- L.J. Thorpe (12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists)
- Evan Clayborne (9 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks)
FIRST HALF
- The first 12 minutes of the half was back-and-forth as the game remained close with a couple of lead changes and a couple of ties
- Charles Falden scored on the break off a Chandler Vaudrin feed to tie the game at 18-18 with 7:47 left in the half
- The Bulldogs grabbed their largest lead at 21-18 after Luke Lawson drilled an open three
- The lead extended to six points after Lavar Batts Jr. knocked down a jumper and Evan Clayborne hit 1-of-2 free throws for a 24-18 lead with 4:20 left in the half
- Winthrop went cold from the field and didn't score for over four minutes which allowed Asheville to build the lead
- Eagles ended the half on a 7-2 run to make it a one point game at the break as the Bulldogs led 26-25
- After the teams combined for 32 points in the first 10 minutes of the half, they combined for 17 points over the final 10
- In the final eight minutes of the half Asheville was just 2-of-10 from the floor while the Eagles were 4-of-20 in the final nine minutes
SECOND HALF
- Bulldogs outscored the Eagles 8-4 over the first two minutes and 15 seconds of the half as they pushed their lead to 37-29
- Winthrop responded with a 14-4 run over the next eight minutes to take a 45-41 lead with 9:38 to play
- The run started with Vaudrin scored at the rim as he scored five points during the run
- After forcing a turnover, the Eagles took the lead pulled within two after Claxton tipped in a missed jumper by Kelton Talford
- Winthrop tied the game at 38-38 after three offensive rebounds that finally resulted in Arms knocking down a short jumper
- Falden scored on back-to-back possessions to break a 41-41 tie and give the Eagles the lead four point lead with 9:38 remaining
- After Thrope made two free throws to make it a two point game, Vaudrin took over scoring on back-to-back possessions and then Micheal Anumba hit two free throws for a 51-43 lead with 6:48 to play
- With 4:32 left the Eagles still led by eight when Trenth Stephney hit a three in the corner but Falden came back with a score and a 54-47 lead
- Asheville outscored the Eagles 8-1 over the final 3:18 to hold on for the win
- Eagles trailed by three with 10 seconds left when they forced a turnover, giving them an opportunity to tie
- On the inbound Russell Jones Jr. was fouled at midcourt with six seconds left
- After making the first free throw intentionally missed the second and the Eagles got the rebound, but Talford couldn't get his shot to fall but the Bulldogs were whistled for a foul after the miss
- Jamal King came to the line with a chance to tie the game but his first shot was off the back iron and then missed on purpose and Arms boarded the miss but his momentum took him toward the baseline and couldn't get a quick shot off
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Winthrop shot a season-low 32 percent as it was 1-of-9 from the floor in the final 6:23
- Asheville shot 48 percent, knocking down 59 percent in the second half
- Eagles dominated the offensive boards with a season-high 26 and had 27 more shots than the Bulldogs
- Winthrop finished with 15 second chance points and 27 points off of 22 forced turnovers (Winthrop had just nine turnovers)
- Vaudrin was the only Eagle in double-figures at 14 points as he finished 6-of-15 from the floor
- Asheville had nine blocks in the game, led by Clayborne's five
NOTABLES
- The program record 21-game win streak tied the 2010-11 Coastal Carolina team for the longest in Big South history
- The streak of 15 straight regular season league wins also came to an end, which tied the program record
- The 26 offensive rebounds were the most in a game by an Winthrop team in over 17 seasons
- Winthrop is now 36-4 in its last 40 games
To keep up with the latest news on the Winthrop men's basketball program, follow the Eagles on Twitter (@Winthrop_MBB), Instagram (@Winthrop_MBB) and Facebook (/WinthropEagles).
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