Murfreesboro, Tenn. – Josh Corbin and
D.J. Burns Jr. scored a team-high 14 points each but Winthrop fell 76-65 at Middle Tennessee State, Tuesday evening.
WINTHROP (2-1)
SCORING LEADERS
MIDDLE TENNESSEE (3-0)
SCORING LEADERS
- Donovan Sims (16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal)
- DeAndre Dishman (16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals)
- Eli Lawrence (8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals)
FIRST HALF
- Blue Raiders jumped out to a 6-0 lead, but Micheal Anumba drove the lane and at the free throw line kicked the ball out to the left wing for Josh Corbin as he buried a three
- After the Eagles made it a one point deficit at 6-5 the Blue Raiders doubled their lead again at 10-5
- Eagles chipped away and trailed 14-12 with 11:44 left in the half after a right wing three from Corbin
- Trailing 16-12 with 8:47 left, Corbin hit his third triple of the half and then scored at the rim off a drive for the Eagles first lead of the game at 17-16
- Game was tied 28-28 with 2:16 left in the half the Eagles hit back-to-back threes from Sin'Cere McMahon and Corbin for a six point lead
- Eagles led 36-33 at the break thanks to 50 percent shooting from the floor as they started the game 4-for-14 before making 7-of-8 to finish the half
SECOND HALF
- D.J. Burns Jr., who sat most of the first half in foul trouble, wasted little time getting involved in the second half as he opened the final 20 minutes with a basket at the rim for a five point lead
- After that bucket the Blue Raiser reeled off 10 straight points to regain the lead behind two triples from Tyler Millin
- The 10-0 run was stopped by a Burns Jr. basket inside as the Eagles trailed 43-40 with 17:17 left
- Blue Raiders turned the 10-run into a 17-2 over four and a half minutes to grab a double-digit lead at 50-40 with 14:47 left
- Eagles fought back to get to within three points on two separate occasions midway through the half but could never get over the hump
- Blue Raiders leading 61-56 got back-to-back threes from Donovan Sims to push the lead to 11 points and then Camryn Weston hit two free throws for a 13 point lead with five and a half to play
- Eagles used a 7-0 run to pull within 69-63 with 2:50 to play but the Blue Raiders held them off for the win
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Winthrop committed 17 turnovers while forcing 15, but the Blue Raiders had a 29-3 advantage in points off turnovers
- Middle Tennessee also outscored the Eagles 20-6 in fast break points
- Both teams shot 44 percent from the field in the game as the Eagles were 9-of-27 from three and Middle Tennessee was 6-of-27
- Blue Raiders had a huge advantage at the foul line going 22-for-27 while the Eagles were 10-of-19
- Neither team shot the ball well down the stretch as the Eagles were 3-for-12 from the floor in the final 5:15 and the Blue Raiders were 1-for-6 in that stretch
NOTABLES
- Eagles road win streak comes to an end at 12 straight (last true road loss was Feb. 13, 2020 at Gardner-Webb)
- In the last 51 games the Eagles are 45-6
- Cory Hightower had a career-high five steals
- With 14 points, Burns Jr. surpassed 700 career points (707)
UP NEXT
Eagles will head to Nashville, Tenn. for its second game of a four-game road trip when they take on Vanderbilt on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m.
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).
