Jackson, Miss. – D.J. Burns Jr. scored 20 points to lead Winthrop in an 84-63 loss to Mississippi State, Tuesday night at the Mississippi Coliseum.
WINTHROP (6-6)
SCORING LEADERS
MISSISSIPPI STATE (9-3)
SCORING LEADERS
- D.J. Jeffries (19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists)
- Iverson Molinar (22 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block)
- Garrison Brooks (15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block)
FIRST HALF
- Bulldogs opened the game with four quick points as Iverson Molinar got to the rim twice
- Bulldogs led 7-1 just shy of two minutes in when Cory Hightower dropped in a three and then D.J. Burns Jr. hit a turn-around 15-foot jumper to cut the deficit to 10-6
- Eagles were within three at 12-9, but six straight points by the Bulldogs doubled their lead at 18-9 with 12:07 left
- Mississippi State pushed the lead to double-figures at 24-14 with just over 10 to play after Molinar knocked down a jumper
- The Bulldogs opened the game 11-of-16 from the field to build its 10-point advantage
- The lead extended to 13 points after D.J. Jeffries hit a tough jumper followed by a three from Shakeel Moore in transition, forcing the Eagles to call timeout
- Out of the timeout Burns Jr. scored at the rim, but Jeffries answered right back and then off a Winthrop turnover Jeffries drilled a three for a 34-18 lead
- Bulldogs outscored the Eagles 21-12 over the final 7:11 as they hit nine consecutive shots which included five triples to build a 47-28 lead at the break
- Mississippi State shot 67 percent from the floor while the Eagles were shot 46 percent
SECOND HALF
- Eagles opened the second half with a strong defensive effort, holding Mississippi State 2-of-10 from the floor in the first eight minutes
- The Bulldogs pushed the lead back to 20 points at 59-39 with 10:55 to play, but the Eagles reeled off five straight to force a timeout
- The run started with a Drew Buggs free throw, who then stole the ball about 20 seconds later that led to a Chase Claxton layup and then Anumba finished at the rim to make it a 15 point deficit
- Eagles held the Bulldogs to 1-of-10 shooting from the field for over five minutes, but were only able to slightly dig into the deficit as the Bulldogs were 11-of-14 at the foul line
- Bulldogs used the foul line to maintain their consistent 15-20 point lead as they were 16-of-20 in the second half alone
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Eagles held the Bulldogs to 39 percent shooting in the second half, but the Bulldogs shot 55 percent for the game
- Winthrop finished at 45 percent from the floor and just 5-of-20 from three (25%)
- Eagles committed 13 turnovers the Bulldogs turned into 18 points
- Mississippi State had a 31-22 advantage on the glass and turned six offensive rebounds into 12 second chance points
NOTABLES
- Burns Jr. posted 20 points for the second straight game, his first back-to-back games of 20 or more in his career
- Anumba made his 100th appearance as an Eagle and also reached 400 career rebounds in the process
- Talford has been in double-figures in three of the last four games and for a 5th time this season
- Winthrop finished with 17 assists on 22 field goals, tying its second-highest total of assists in a game this season
UP NEXT
Eagles have 10 days until their next contest when they wrap-up the non-conference schedule on Friday, Dec. 31 at 1 p.m. against Converse College.
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).
